Podcasts about foreign ministry

Hello Youtube Members, Patreons and Pacific War week by week listeners. Yes this was intended to be an exclusive episode to join the 29 others over on my Youtube Membership and Patreon, but since we are drawing to the end of the Pacific War week by week series, I felt compelled to make some special episodes to answer some of the bigger questions. Why did Japan, or better said, why did Emperor Hirohito decide to finally surrender? It seems obvious on the face of it, but there is actually a lot more to it than bombs or Soviet invasions. I guess you can call this episode a teaser or a shameless plug for going over to my Youtube Membership or Patreon. There's honestly a lot of interesting subjects such as ‘why was the japanese army so brutal”, “Hirohito's war time responsibility”, “the 4 part Kanji Ishiwara series”. Thus if you liked this one please show some love and check out my other stuff on my Youtube Membership or over at www.patreon.com/pacificwarchannel.   Stating all of that lets just jump right into it.   We first need to start off briefly looking at Emperor Hirohito.    Upon taking the throne, Emperor Hirohito in 1926 Hirohito inherited a financial crisis and a military that was increasingly seizing control of governmental policies. From the beginning, despite what many of you older audience members may have been told, Hirohito intensely followed all military decisions. Hirohito chose when to act and when not to. When the Kwantung Army assassinated Zhang Zuolin, he indulged their insubordination. This emboldened them to invade Manchuria in 1931, whereupon Hirohito was furious and demanded they be reigned in. Attempts were made, but they were heavily undermined by radicals. Hirohito could have put his foot down, but he chose not to. On September 22nd, at 4:20pm Hirohito said to the IJA Chief of General staff, Kanaya Hanzo “although this time it couldn't be helped, the army had to be more careful in the future”. Thus Hirohito again acquiesced to the military, despite wanting them to stop or at least localize the conflict. The military had disregarded his wishes, they should have been severely punished. Why did Hirohito not take a firmer stance?    Again for older audience members you may have heard, “hirohito was a hostage at the whim of his own military”. This narrative made it seem he was some sort of hostage emperor, but this is not the case at all. In fact Hirohito was instrumental in many military decisions from 1931-1945. The reason this, I will call it “myth” , went on was because after Japan's surrender, the US basically rewrote the Japanese constitution and covered up the Emperor's involvement in all the nasty stuff, to maintain control over Japan. Yeah it sounds a bit conspiracy esque, but I assure you it was indeed the case. This narrative held firm all the way until Hirohito's death, when finally meeting notes and personal accounts from those close to him came out, illuminating a lot. Though to this day, many records are still red -tapped.   The reason Hirohito did not stamp his foot down has to do with the Kokutai.    The Kokutai   So before I carry on, I have to explain what exactly is the Kokutai.    The Kokutai, loosely translated as "national essence," refers to the qualities that distinguish the Japanese identity. However, this concept is remarkably vague and poorly defined; even Japanese historians acknowledge this ambiguity. In contrast to Kokutai is seitai, or "form of government." While the Kokutai embodies the eternal and immutable aspects of Japanese polity—rooted in history, traditions, and customs centered around the Emperor—Japan's seitai has evolved significantly throughout its extensive history. For instance, shoguns governed for over 700 years until 1868, when the Meiji Restoration reinstated direct imperial rule.   Nevertheless, Emperor Meiji's direct authority came to an end with the adoption of the Meiji Constitution in 1889, which established a constitutional monarchy, introducing significant complexities into the governance system.   Article 4 of the constitution declares: “The Emperor is the head of the Empire, combining in Himself the rights of sovereignty, uniting the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, although subject to the consent of the Imperial Diet.” Under this framework, the Emperor alone possessed the power to appoint or dismiss ministers of state, declare war, negotiate peace, conclude treaties, direct national administration, and command the army and navy.   A glaring flaw in this arrangement is the inherent ambiguity of the Meiji Constitution. While it established a democratic parliament, it simultaneously afforded the Emperor absolute authority to usurp it. The document failed to clearly define the relationships between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and its language was intentionally vague. Most critically, the military—the army and navy—were not directly accountable to the civilian government.    So with the kokutai, the Emperor is a divine figure who embodies the state's sovereignty. It was not necessarily the Emperor's job to surrender on behalf of the official government of Japan, but he most certainly could do so, given the Japanese people still remained faithful to the kokutai.    Now Hirohito did not live an ordinary life. According to the imperial custom, Japanese royals were raised apart from their parents, at the age of 3 he was placed in the care of the Kwamura family who vowed to raise him to be unselfish, persevering in the face of difficulties, respectful of the views of others and immune to fear. One thing that was absolutely indoctrinated into him was to defend the kokutai. It became his top mission as a monarch, it was the only mission in many ways. At the very core of how he saw the world and how he acted, it was always to protect the kokutai.    So when the Japanese military began these insubordinate acts, Hirohito's primary concern was to the kokutai, ie: anything that threatened his imperial authority and the imperial institution itself. Although the military usurped his authority, the operations had been successful. Hirohito was not at all opposed to seeing his empire expand. He understood the value of manchuria, he was fully onboard with the military plans to eventually seize control over it, but these radicals were accelerating things to quickly for everyone's liking. He turned a blind eye, dished light punishments and carried on. However the local conflict escalated. It traveled to Shanghai by 1932 and here Hirohito took action. He understood Shanghai was full of western powers. Nations like Britain and America could place economic sanctions on Japan if things were allowed to get out of hand here. So he ordered General Yoshinori Shirakawa to bring the Shanghai expedition to a close.    During this period, two factions emerged within the Japanese military: the Kodoha, or “Imperial Way,” and the Toseiha, or “Control” faction. The Kodoha was founded by General Sadao Araki and his protégé, Jinzaburo Masaki. Their primary objective was a Shōwa Restoration aimed at purging Japan of corrupt politicians and businessmen, especially those associated with the zaibatsu. Composed mainly of young army officers, the Kodoha espoused a romanticized and radical interpretation of Bushido, idealizing pre-industrial Japan, which Araki believed had been tainted by Western influences. To achieve their goals, they resorted to assassinations and planned a coup d'état.   In response, the Toseiha faction was formed, initially led by Lt. General Tetsuzan Nagata and later by Hideki Tojo. Like the Kodoha, the Toseiha sought a Shōwa Restoration but adopted a more moderate and conservative approach. They recognized the importance of preserving traditional values while integrating Western ideals, advocating for a balanced perspective. The Toseiha promoted pragmatic military strategies to navigate the complexities of modern warfare. Although they acknowledged the existence of corrupt politicians and zaibatsu, they preferred to work within the existing political system, anticipating that future total wars would necessitate a strengthened industrial and military capacity. Their ranks primarily included promising graduates from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) Academy, Army Staff College, and select naval members. The most significant distinction between the two factions was that the Toseiha explicitly rejected the use of a coup d'état in pursuit of their goals.   Between 1932-1936 radical officers, mostly of the Kodoha faction assassinated politicians and military leaders trying to usher in a showa restoration. You might be led to believe this was in the interest of Hirohito, you would be mistaken. Hirohito did not want a military dictatorship at the whim of the cult of the emperor. Ironic to say, given how WW2 turns out mind you. This really would have been a hostage situation. Hirohito wanted to maintain the exact ambiguous situation that was Showa Era Japan pre 1945. He saw this as the most ideal structure to defend the kokutai, because blame could not be placed solely upon his shoulders. He always maintained a get out of jail free card one could say.    The February 26 incident of 1936, was the climax of the Kodoha faction. They performed a mutiny trying to usher in a SHowa restoration. They assumed when their messenger came to the emperor he would join them and take direct rule. Instead Hirohito was furious. His first thought was the mutineers were trying to enlist his brother Chichibu to overthrow him. He dragged his brother who was a fraternizer amongst the kodoha members mind you, into a meeting, demanding he never associate with them again nor attempt to challenge him. Then Hirohito furious demanded the mutineers be dealt with. At one point he even threatened to lead the imperial guards to put them down. The coup failed, the kodoha faction was destroyed. Ironically the toseiha faction were the ones to do it and thus they became the defacto ruling clique.    The military, especially the kwantung army did not stop with their insubordination.    On July 8th of 1937 the Kwangtung army performed the Marco Polo Bridge incident, ushering in the second sino-japanese war. This was one of many false flag operations they had pulled off over the years. Upon being told about this Hirohito's first response was whether the USSR would invade Manchukuo over the matter. This is what he said to Prime Minister Konoe and army minister Sugiyama “What will you do if the Soviets attack us from the rear?” he asked the prince. Kan'in answered, “I believe the army will rise to the occasion.” The emperor repeated his question: “That's no more than army dogma. What will you actually do in the unlikely event that Soviet [forces] attack?” The prince said only, “We will have no choice.” His Majesty seemed very dissatisfied. Hirohito furious demanded to know what contingency plans existed and his advisors told him before he gave his red seal of approval to invade northern china.   Henceforth he micromanaged a lot of the military decisions going forward and he oversaw the forming and dissolving of numerous cabinets and positions when things went his way or did not in the military and political scene.  Emperor Hirohito was presented with several opportunities to cause cease-fires or peace settlements during the war years. One of the best possible moments to end it all came during the attack on Nanking when Chiang Kai-sheks military were in disarray. On July 11 of 1938, the commander of the 19th division fought a border clash with the USSR known to us in the west as the battle of Lake Khasan. It was a costly defeat for Japan and in the diary of Harada Kumao he noted Hirohito scolded Army minister Itagaki “Hereafter not a single soldier is to be moved without my permission.” When it looked like the USSR would not press for a counter attack across the border, Hirohito gave the order for offensives in China to recommence, again an example of him deciding when to lay down the hammer.   By 1939 the US began threatening sanctions for what Japan was doing in China. Hirohito complained to his chief aide de camp Hata Shunroku on August 5th “It could be a great blow to scrap metal and oil”. Hirohito was livid and scolded many of his top officials and forced the appointment of General Abe to prime minister and demanded of him “to cooperate with the US and Britain and preserve internal order”.   Fast forward a bit, with war raging in Europe Hirohito, on June 19th of 1940 Hirohito asked if chief of staff Prince Kan'in and Army Minister Hata “At a time when peace will soon come in the European situation, will there be a deployment of troops to the Netherlands Indies and French Indochina?” This question highlighted Hirohito's belief at that time that Germany was close to achieving victory, which led him to gradually consider deploying troops to French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies since neither of those parent nations was in a position to protect their territories and vital resources. Regarding the war in China, the Japanese aimed to stop the flow of materials entering China from places like Hong Kong. Hirohito received reports indicating that Britain would not agree to block the shipment of materials into China via Hong Kong. The military recognized that an invasion of Hong Kong might be necessary, which would mean declaring war on Britain. When this was communicated to him, Hirohito responded, “If that occurs, I'm sure America will enforce an embargo, don't you think?” In response, Kido, the lord of the privy seal, reassured him by stating, “The nation must be fully prepared to resist, proceeding with caution and avoiding being drawn into events instigated by foreign interests.”   Hirohito went through countless meetings, but eventually signed order number 458 authorizing the invasion of French Indochina, knowing full well the consequences. The US,UK and Netherlands began embargoes of oil, rubber and iron. In the words of Admiral Takagai “As time passes and this situation continues, our empire will either be totally defeated or forced to fight a hopeless war. Therefore we should pursue war and diplomacy together. If there is no prospect of securing our final line of national survival by diplomatic negotiations, we must be resolved to fight.” Hirohito understood the predicament full well, that each day Japan was wasting its oil reserves, if they were to strike it had to be quickly.   On October 13th Hirohito told his closest advisor Koichi Kido “In the present situation there seems to be little hope for the Japan–U.S. negotiations. If hostilities erupt this time, I think I may have to issue a declaration of war.”   The reason I am bringing up all this stuff is to solidify, Hirohito had agency, he was micromanaging and forming decisions. After the war broke out with the west, Hirohito did have the ability to stamp his foot down. Of course there could have been wild repercussions, his military could have usurped him with Chichibu, it was definitely possible. But you need to keep this mind set, as far as why Hirohito acts or doesn't, its always to protect the Kokutai. Thus one of the levers for peace, solely rested on Hirohito's perception if the kokutai could be retained or not.    From the outset of the Pacific War, Hirohito believed Germany was going to defeat the USSR. In line with his military leaders, they all believed Japan had to seize everything they could in the asia-pacific and thwart off the US until a negotiated peace could be met. Hirohito committed himself to overseeing the war, determined to achieve victory at any cost. He was a very cautious leader, he meticulously analyzed each campaign, anticipating potential setbacks and crafting worst-case scenario predictions. He maintained a skeptical view of the reports from his senior officials and was often harshly critical of high commanders.   While he did not frequently visit the front lines like other commanders in chief, Hirohito wielded significant influence over theater operations, shaping both planning and execution whenever he deemed necessary. Similar to his approach during the war in China, he issued the highest military orders from the Imperial Headquarters, conducted audited conferences, and made decisions communicated under his name. He regularly welcomed generals and admirals to the imperial palace for detailed briefings on the battlefront and visited various military bases, battleships, and army and naval headquarters. His inspections encompassed military schools and other significant military institutions, adding to his comprehensive involvement in the war effort.   Now the war went extremely well for Japan until the battle of Midway. This was as major setback, but Japan retained the initiative. Then the Guadalcanal campaign saw Japan lose the initiative to the Americans. Upon receiving the initial report of the Ichiki detachment's destruction, Hirohito remarked, “I am sure it [Guadalcanal] can be held.” Despite the numerous reports detailing the devastating effects of tropical diseases and starvation on his troops, he persistently demanded greater efforts from them. Hirohito exerted continuous pressure on his naval and land commanders to retake the island. On September 15th, November 5th, and November 11th, he requested additional Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) troops and aircraft to be allocated to the cause.   General Sugiyama expressed concerns about dispatching more IJA pilots due to their inexperience in transoceanic combat, preferring to reinforce the North China Army for an attack on Chongqing instead. Hirohito pressed the issue again, but Sugiyama responded that the IJA had diverted its air resources to New Guinea and Rabaul. Undeterred by the objections from senior commanders, Hirohito persisted in his demands. By late November, it became evident that Guadalcanal was a lost cause.   At an Imperial Headquarters conference on December 31st, 1942, the chiefs of staff proposed canceling the attempts to recapture Guadalcanal. Hirohito sanctioned this decision but stated, “It is unacceptable to just give up on capturing Guadalcanal. We must launch an offensive elsewhere.” He insisted on this point, leading to the selection of new strategic targets in the Solomons, north of New Georgia, and in the Stanley Range on New Guinea. Hirohito even threatened to withhold authorization for withdrawing troops from Guadalcanal until a new plan was established. He later opposed the withdrawal from Munda Airfield, as it contradicted the newly defined defensive line.   As the defensive perimeter in the central and northern Solomons began to crumble, Hirohito continued to insist that the navy engage in decisive battles to regain the initiative, allowing for the transport of supplies to the many soldiers trapped on various islands. When he learned of the navy's failure to reinforce Lae on March 3rd, he asked, “Then why didn't you change plans immediately and land at Madan? This is a failure, but it can teach us a good lesson and become a source of future success. Do this for me so I can have peace of mind for a while.” The phrase “Do this for me” would come to be his signature rallying cry.   After Guadal canal, it was loss after loss for Japan. By February of 1944, Hirohito forced Sugiyama to resign so Hideki Tojo could take his position as chief of the general staff, note Tojo was prime minister and army minister at this point. Hirohito worked alongside Tojo to plan some last ditch efforts to change the war situation. The most significant one was Operation Ichi-Go. As much damage as they did to China with that, Chiang Kai-Shek's government survived. Hirohito watched as island by island fell to the Americans. When the Americans were poised to take Saipan he warned Tojo “If we ever lose Saipan, repeated air attacks on Tokyo will follow. No matter what it takes, we have to hold there.” Saipan fell, so Hirohito stopped supporting Tojo and allowed his rivals to take down his cabinet by june 18th of 1944.    Hirohito remained resolute in his determination to wrest victory from the Allies. On October 18th, the Imperial Headquarters ordered a decisive naval engagement, leading to the Battle of Leyte Gulf. After the war, Hirohito publicly stated, "Contrary to the views of the Army and Navy General Staffs, I consented to the showdown battle at Leyte, believing that if we launched an attack and America hesitated, we might find an opportunity to negotiate." Leyte Gulf didnt work. The military began the kamikaze program. On new years day of 1945 Hirohito inspected the special last meal rations given to departing kamikaze units. Iwo Jima fell. Okinawa remained, and Hirohito lashed out “Is it because we failed to sink enemy transports that we've let the enemy get ashore? Isn't there any way to defend Okinawa from the landing enemy forces?” On the second day of Okinawa's invasion Hirohito ordered a counter landing by the 32nd army and urged the navy to counterattack in every way possible. It was a horrible failure, it cost the lives of up to 120,000 Japanese combatants, 170,000 noncombatants. The Americans lost 12,500 killed and 33,000 wounded. An absolute bloodbath.    The Surrender time   Now we come to the time period where Japan seriously began looking for ways to surrender. In Europe Germany was heading to its defeat and Japan knew this. As for Japan, their army in Burma had been annihilated. Their forces in China were faring better after Operation Ichi-go, having opened up a land corridor along the main railway from Beiping to Wuhan and from throughout Guangdong but still stuck in a deadlock stalemate, facing a guerrilla war that was costing them 64% of their military expenditures. They deeply feared once the Soviets finished up with Germany, they would undoubtedly turn east against Manchuria. With the Soviets attacking from the north, the US would attack from the south, perhaps landing in Shanghai and the home islands. The Kamikaze tactics were proving formidable, but not nearly enough. By 1945, 43% of the IJA were now stationed in Japan, Korea and Formosa, bracing for the final stand. Former prime minister Reijiro Wakatsuki came out of retirement in may of 1945, having heard Germany collapsed, to urge Hirohito and the Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki to open negotiations with the US as soon as possible. However he also said “the enemy must first be made to see the disadvantages of continuing the war”. To this Hirohito's chief counselor Makino Nobuaki said that “the ultimate priority is to develop an advantageous war situation.” Advisor admiral Kesiuke Okada said Japan should wait for “a moment favorable for us,” then make peace. Advisors Kiichiro Hiranuma and Koki Hirota advised the emperor to fight on until the end.   Now I want to bring in a key player to the surrender decision, that of Prince Konoe. Konoe was very close to Hirohito and understood the emperors mentality, especially how he viewed things in relation to the kokutai.    The senior statesman Prince Konoe had been consulting with Hirohito for over 18 months at this point trying to convey the message that if the war continued it would threaten the kokutai. Many months prior, he confided in the emperor's brother, Prince Takamatsu, that the army was suffering from “a cancer” in the form of the Toseiha faction. However, he noted that “Kido and others” did not share his perspective, while “his Majesty is relatively unconcerned with ideological issues.” For the past four years, he continued, the emperor had been advised and still believed that “the true extremists are the Kodoha faction.” In reality, the greater threat to the kokutai arose from the Toseiha faction. Konoe further asserted that if the war escalated, they would attempt to alter the kokutai.   Konoe speculated that whether the threat originated from communists within the nation, primarily referring to left-wing radicals in the Toseiha faction, or from the “Anglo-American enemy,” both would seek to preserve the emperor while pushing towards the country's communization.In his written report to the emperor on February 14, which Kido listened to attentively, Konoe elaborated on his conspiracy theory. He asserted that the Soviet Union regarded Japan as its primary threat in East Asia. The Soviets had allied with the Chinese Communists, the largest and most formidable Communist party in Asia, and were collaborating with the United States and Britain to drive Japan out of China. He warned that they would enter the war when the opportunity arose.   Defeat, he cautioned the emperor, was inevitable if the conflict persisted. However, he emphasized that a far greater fear was the potential destruction of the kokutai. The ongoing war was eroding the domestic status quo, unleashing forces that threatened Japan and its imperial institution from within as much as from external adversaries. The real danger lay in the emperor's and Kido's trust in the generals of the Toseiha faction, who were unintentionally facilitating the communization of Japan. Konoe implored for a swift peace settlement before a Communist revolution emerged, making the preservation of the kokutai impossible. Hirohito agreed with Konoe but stated “ To end the war would be “very difficult unless we make one more military gain.” Konoe allegedly replied, “Is that possible? It must happen soon. If we have to wait much longer, . . . [a mere battle victory] will mean nothing.” Hirohito replied “If we hold out long enough in this war, we may be able to win, but what worries me is whether the nation will be able to endure it until then.”   On February 15th of 1945, Hirohito's intelligence warned the Soviet Union would likely abrogate its Neutrality Pact with Japan. Even Tojo conceded there was a 50/50 chance the USSR would invade Manchuria. In March, the US began B-29 incendiary bombing raids over Tokyo, turning 40% of the capital into ash. On March 18th, Hirohito with some aides drove around the capital to witness the devastation. The civilians looked exhausted and bewildered to Hirohito. Factory production was collapsing, absenteeism was rising, instances of lese majeste were running rampant. For the next 5 months imperial family members and senior statesmen all began speaking to Hirohito about the “crises of the kokutai”. The threat Konoe had warned about for months was becoming the main talking point. It seemed like the Japanese people within the countryside and urban areas remained steadfast in the resolve to obey their leaders, work and sacrifice for their nation, but for how long would they feel so?    It was only after the battle for Okinawa was lost and 60 Japanese cities had been leveled by American incendiary bombs that Hirohito openly indicated he wanted to negotiate a surrender.   Kido's diary reveals the first clear indication that the emperor might be urged to consider an early peace on June 8, 1945, when Kido drafted his “Draft Plan for Controlling the Crisis Situation.” This marked a pivotal moment. It followed the unintentional bombing of the Imperial Palace, the complete loss of hope for saving Okinawa, and coincided with the day the Supreme War Leadership Council adopted the “Basic Policy for the Future Direction of the War.” With the fighting in Europe concluded, Japan found itself entirely isolated. Kido's plan, although vague, proposed seeking the Soviet Union's assistance as an intermediary to help Japan gain leverage in negotiations with its adversaries. By drafting this plan, Kido signaled the end of his long alliance with the military hard-liners. Hirohito's acceptance of it indicated his readiness for an early peace.   Hirohito was moved to an underground bunker in the mountains of Matsushiro in Nagano prefecture where upon those around him noted he fell into a deep depression. On June 22nd  Hirohito informed the Supreme War Leadership Council he wanted them to open diplomatic maneuvers to end the war. In early July Soviet Ambassador Jacob Malik broke off inconclusive talks with Hirota. Hirohito stepped in immediately and ordered a new special envoy be sent to Moscow. However Hirohito nor the Suzuki government had concrete plans on how to mediate a surrender through the Soviets. The only things they did prioritize was a guarantee of the emperors political position and retainment of the imperial system, ie the kokutai. This was taken into consideration rather than ending the war as quickly as possible to save the lives of millions.    From April 8, 1945, until Japan's capitulation, the Suzuki government's chief war policy was “Ketsugo,” an advanced iteration of the “Shosango” (Victory Number 3) plan for defending the homeland. The hallmark of this strategy was a heavy reliance on suicide tactics, including deploying a massive number of kamikaze “special attack” planes, human torpedoes launched from submarines, dynamite-stuffed “crash boats” powered by truck engines, human rocket bombs carried by aircraft, and suicide assaults by specially trained ground units.   While preparations for Operation Ketsu progressed, the Imperial Diet convened on June 9 to pass a Wartime Emergency Measures Law, along with five additional measures aimed at mobilizing the entire nation for this final battle. On the same day, the emperor, who had yet to initiate efforts to end the war, issued another imperial rescript in conjunction with the Diet's convocation, instructing the nation to “smash the inordinate ambitions of the enemy nations” and “achieve the goals of the war.” Concurrently, the controlled press launched a daily die-for-the-emperor campaign to foster gratitude for the imperial benevolence and, from around mid-July onward, initiated a campaign to “protect the kokutai.”   The Americans countered with their own propaganda aimed at breaking Japan's will to fight. B-29 bombers dropped millions of leaflets written in Japanese, announcing the next scheduled targets for bombing raids and urging surrender, while using the emperor to challenge the militarists. Leaflets bearing the chrysanthemum crest criticized the “military cliques” for “forcing the entire nation to commit suicide” and called on “everyone” to “exercise their constitutional right to make direct appeals [for peace] to the Emperor.” They asserted that “even the powerful military cliques cannot stop the mighty march for peace of the Emperor and the people.” One notable batch of seven million leaflets conveyed the terms of the “joint declaration” issued by the United States, Great Britain, and China. “Today we come not to bomb you,” they stated. “We are dropping this leaflet to inform you of the response from the United States government to your government's request for conditions of surrender.... Whether the war stops immediately depends on your government. You will understand how to end the war if you read these two official notifications.”   Amid pressures from imperial edicts to continue preparations for a final battle and focus solely on victory, the Japanese people were also subjected to an intense American psychological warfare campaign in addition to aerial bombardment. During late July and August, prefectural governors, police chiefs, and officers of the “special higher police” submitted reports to the Home Ministry detailing the rapidly deteriorating national morale.    Now on the other side, Roosevelt made it known back in January of 1943 at the Casablanca conference, the allies would only accept unconditional surrender. By 1945, the allies understood the predicament this left Japan with. On May 8th of 1945, Truman added “Japan's surrender would not mean the extermination or enslavement of the Japanese people” trying to indicate a non vindictive spirit. However the Kokutai question always remained ambiguous. State Department Joseph Grew, the former ambassador to Japan, began arguing to Truman they needed to make public a clear definition of the terms to persuade Japan to surrender. As he argued to Truman: Emperor Hirohito was seen as the key figure in Japan's surrender, likened to a "queen bee in a hive... surrounded by the attentions of the hive." Throughout the war, he was characterized in various ways—as a “puppet” of the militarists, a constitutional monarch, and a pacifist. Grew had immense faith in the influence exerted by what he referred to as the “moderates” surrounding the Japanese throne.    However many of Grew's colleagues argued the future existence of the monarchy was intolerable as it was akin to fascism. Many wanted to punish the emperor. Truman was in a tug of war. The Potsdam declaration issued on July 26th of 1945 came in the form of a ultimatum aiming to quicken japans surrender. Truman clarified the terms for the unconditional surrender at the end of its terms: "We call upon the government of Japan to proclaim now the unconditional surrender of all Japanese armed forces, and to provide proper and adequate assurances of their good faith in such action. The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction." Zero mention of the emperor. Grew had argued to add “this may include a constitutional monarchy under the present dynasty.” But it was deleted from the article. The status of the emperor was not guaranteed, the kokutai was thus up in the air.    The next day, the Suzuki cabinet rejected the terms. The Japanese leadership and Hirohito were still banking and awaiting Soviet replies to their terms.    Lets talk about the Soviet talks now   Back on July 12th ambassador Naotake Satō sent this message to the Soviets: “His Majesty the Emperor, mindful of the fact that the present war daily brings greater evil and sacrifice upon the peoples of all the belligerent powers, desires from his heart that it may be quickly terminated. But so long as England and the United States insist upon unconditional surrender, the Japanese Empire has no alternative but to fight on with all its strength for the honor and existence of the Motherland”.  However the Soviets had made commitments to their allies, promising in fact to invade Japan to aid them.    As for the Soviets their primary objective was to ensure unrestricted access to the Pacific Ocean. The year-round ice-free areas of the Soviet Pacific coastline, particularly Vladivostok, could be blockaded by air and sea from Sakhalin Island and the Kurile Islands. Securing these territories to guarantee free access to the Soya Strait was their main goal. Secondary objectives included acquiring leases for the Chinese Eastern Railway, the Southern Manchuria Railway, as well as gaining control over Dairen and Port Arthur.   To achieve these aims, Stalin and Molotov prolonged negotiations with the Japanese, creating a false sense of hope for a Soviet-mediated peace. Simultaneously, in their discussions with the United States and Britain, the Soviets insisted on strict adherence to the Cairo Declaration, which had been reaffirmed at the Yalta Conference. This declaration stipulated that the Allies would not accept a separate or conditional peace with Japan; thus, the Japanese would need to surrender unconditionally to all the Allies. The Soviets aimed to prolong the war by opposing any efforts to dilute this requirement. This approach would provide the Soviets with the necessary time to complete the transfer of their troops from the Western Front to the Far East and to conquer Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, northern Korea, South Sakhalin, the Kuriles, and potentially Hokkaidō, starting with an assault on Rumoi. AUGUST 1945   Thus we come to at last the critical point, August of 1945.    The Americans prepared for the deployment of atomic bombs and for an invasion of southern Kyushu, known as Operation Olympic, scheduled to commence on November 1. At 8:15 A.M. on August 6, a single B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay dropped little boy, devastating much of the undefended city of Hiroshima, instantly killing an estimated 100,000 to 140,000 people and leading to the deaths of possibly another 100,000 over the next five years. At the epicenter of the explosion, “a light appeared 3,000 times brighter than the sun,” creating a fireball that emitted thermal radiation capable of “instantly scorching humans, trees, and houses.” As the air heated and rushed upward, cold air surged in to ignite a firestorm. Hours later, a whirlwind escalated the flames to their peak until more than eight square miles were virtually reduced to cinders. Subsequently, black, muddy rain filled with radioactive fallout began to fall. Two days later, using Japan's rejection of the Potsdam Declaration as a pretext, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan. Then on August 9, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, resulting in the immediate deaths of approximately 35,000 to 40,000 people and injuring more than 60,000.   Meanwhile, in Tokyo, during the critical period between the Potsdam Declaration and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Emperor Hirohito remained silent about accepting the Potsdam terms. However, on July 25 and 31, he explicitly conveyed to Kido that the imperial regalia must be defended at all costs. The three sacred objects—a mirror, a curved jewel, and a sword—symbolized the legitimacy of his rule through the northern court and were integral to his identity as the divine sovereign. Hirohito's focus was on protecting these symbols of office, as he insisted on having them brought to the palace. This fixation on maintaining his symbols occurred during a pivotal moment when the pressing issue was whether to accept immediate capitulation. Reflecting on this, he was unprepared to seize the opportunity to end the war himself.   Prime Minister Suzuki, following his initial rejection of the Potsdam ultimatum, also saw no need for further action. His Cabinet Advisory Council, which included the president of Asano Cement, the founder of the Nissan consortium, the vice president of the Bank of Japan, and other representatives from the nation's leading business interests that had profited significantly from the war, convened on the morning of August 3. They recommended accepting the Potsdam terms, arguing that the United States would permit Japan to retain its non-military industries and continue participating in world trade.    Here are some reactions to the two bombs and invasion of Manchuria.    Yonai Mitsumasa said to admiral Takagi Sokichi, on August 12, that “I think the term is perhaps inappropriate, but the atomic bombs and the Soviet entry into the war are, in a sense, gifts from the gods [tenyu, also “heaven-sent blessings”]. This way we don't have to say that we quit the war because of domestic circumstances. I've long been advocating control of our crisis, but neither from fear of an enemy attack nor because of the atomic bombs and the Soviet entry into the war. The main reason is my anxiety over the domestic situation. So, it is rather fortunate that we can now control matters without revealing the domestic situation”.    Konoe's characterized the Soviet involvement in the war as “a godsend for controlling the army,”. Kido viewed of both the atomic bombings and the Soviet entry into the conflict as “useful” elements for ensuring a smooth transition. A nascent power struggle was unfolding, rendering the potential death toll—whether one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand—immaterial to those involved, as long as their desired outcome was achieved: an end to the war that would leave the monarchy intact and capable of managing the discontent that defeat would inevitably provoke. Throughout the final acts of this wartime drama, the Japanese “moderates” found it easier to capitulate to external pressures than to take decisive action on their own to conclude the war.   Another illuminating looks at Japan's elite's perspective on surrender terms was the document titled “Essentials of Peace Negotiations” (wahei kosho no yoryo). Drafted by Konoe and his adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Sakai Koji, after Konoe had reluctantly accepted a mission to Moscow, this document, stipulated the preservation of the emperor system, along with most of the imperial prerogatives, as the absolute minimum condition for peace. It defined the “original” or “essential homeland” as including the southern half of the Kurile Islands but showed a willingness to concede all overseas territories to the enemy, including Okinawa and the American-occupied Bonin Islands, as well as the southern half of Sakhalin. The “Essentials” also accepted complete disarmament for an unspecified period, thereby compromising on the issues of demobilizing and disarming the armed forces. More significantly, an “explanation” attached to the “Essentials” emphasized that “the main aim is to secure the imperial line and maintain the political role of the emperor.”    Why Japan surrendered   We come to it atleast after a long podcast. Why did Japan ultimately surrender?   The twin psychological shocks of the first atomic bomb and the Soviet entry into the war, combined with Kido's and the emperor's concern over escalating public criticism of the throne and its occupant, fueled an almost paranoid fear that, sooner or later, the populace would react violently against their leaders if the war persisted much longer. These factors ultimately led Hirohito to accept, in principle, the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.   At the first meeting of the six member constituents of the Supreme War Leadership Council, held from 10:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. on August 9, Army Minister Anami Korechika, Chiefs of Staff Umezu Yoshijiro, representing the army, and Yonai, representing the navy, along with Tōgō, from the Foreign Ministry, were expected to discuss the acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. Instead, the conversation revolved around whether to attempt a conditional surrender—specifically, should they insist on one condition, the preservation of the kokutai, or four?   After Suzuki addressed the assembly regarding the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the Soviet attack, Yonai, as recounted by Navy Chief of Staff Toyoda, was the first to speak, framing the issue in terms of four conditions. “Let's start to talk, Do we accept the Potsdam Declaration with no conditions? If not, and we wish to insist on attaching hopes and conditions, we may do so this way. First, preservation of the kokutai; then for the rest, the main items in the Potsdam Declaration: treatment of war criminals, method of disarmament, and the matter of sending in an army of occupation.” Thus, the participants identified what they perceived to be the ambiguous points within the Potsdam Declaration and used them as the foundation for their discussions.   The army insisted on four conditions: First, the preservation of the kokutai, which they considered distinct from the Potsdam Declaration itself. The other conditions proposed were, second, that the Imperial Headquarters assume responsibility for disarmament and demobilization; third, a prohibition on occupation; and fourth, the delegation of the punishment of war criminals to the Japanese government. The army equated the kokutai with the emperor's right of supreme command. Their self-serving desire for autonomous war crimes trials was based on the belief that the Allies would use such trials to politically indict the military. Consequently, army leaders aimed to preempt the activities of any international tribunal by conducting their own trials—similar to the approach taken by the uninvaded and unrepentant Germans after World War I.   Supporting the military's views during cabinet meetings that day were three civilian members of the Suzuki cabinet: Justice Minister Matsuzaka Hiromasa, Home Minister Yasui Toji, and Minister of Health Okada Tadahiko. At the imperial conference that night, which extended into the early hours of the tenth, Foreign Minister Tōgō's interpretation of the “preservation of the kokutai” referred solely to the safeguarding of the Imperial House or dynasty, rather than the continuation of Hirohito's reign.   Hiranuma, another advocate for the single condition, interpreted the kokutai as the “emperor's sovereign right to rule the state [not] deriving from national law. Even if the entire nation is sacrificed to the war, we must preserve both the kokutai and the security of the imperial house.” This discrepancy illustrated that there was no completely unified understanding of what the kokutai entailed; the debate over one condition versus four represented conflicting visions for the future of the Japanese state and masked the competition for political power that was already unfolding.   It remains doubtful whether the emperor and Kido initially sided with Tōgō against the four conditions proposed by the senior military leaders. A more likely inference is that both men retained sympathies for the hardliners, both military and civilian, who preferred to continue the futile war rather than surrender immediately and unconditionally. This may explain why, on August 9, Konoe had Hosokawa Morisada approach Navy General Headquarters to urge the emperor's brother, Prince Takamatsu, to pressure Hirohito (through Kido) to accept the Potsdam terms. Later that afternoon, Konoe enlisted the help of diplomat Shigemitsu Mamoru to persuade Kido to reconsider his stance on the four conditions. Ultimately, at the urging of Takamatsu and Shigemitsu, Kido did shift to support Tōgō's position.   At the end of the war, as at its beginning and throughout every stage of its progression, Emperor Hirohito played a highly active role in supporting the actions carried out in his name. From the very beginning of the Asia-Pacific war, the emperor played a significant role in the unfolding events around him. Prior to the Battle of Okinawa, he consistently advocated for a decisive victory. Afterward, he acknowledged the necessity of pursuing an early peace, although he did not favor an immediate cessation of hostilities. Instead, he wavered, steering Japan toward ongoing warfare rather than direct negotiations with the Allies. When the final crisis fully unfolded, the only option left was unconditional surrender. Even then, he continued to procrastinate until the atomic bomb was dropped and the Soviets launched their attack. The wartime emperor ideology that once sustained morale made it exceedingly difficult for Japan's leaders to accept the act of surrender. Aware of their objective defeat, yet indifferent to the suffering the war inflicted on their own people—as well as on the populations of Asia, the Pacific, and the West whose lives they had disrupted—the emperor and his military leaders sought a means to lose without appearing to lose. They aimed to mitigate domestic criticism following surrender while preserving their power structure.   Blinded by their fixation on the fate of the imperial house and committed to an overly optimistic diplomacy toward the Soviet Union, Japan's leaders missed several opportunities to end their lost war. Would Japan's leaders have surrendered more promptly if the Truman administration had “clarified” the status of the emperor before the cataclysmic double shocks of the atomic bomb and the Soviet entry into the war? Probably not. However, it is likely they would have surrendered to prevent the kokutai from being destroyed from within. The evidence suggests that the first atomic bomb and the Soviet declaration of war led Hirohito, Kido, and other members of the court to believe that continuing the war would inevitably result in that destruction. They recognized that the populace was war-weary and despondent, with rising hostility toward the military and the government, accompanied by increasing criticism of the emperor himself. More specifically, Kido and Hirohito were privy to Home Ministry reports, which contained information from governors and police chiefs nationwide. These reports indicated that citizens were beginning to label the emperor as an incompetent leader responsible for the deteriorating war situation.   This is the third variable, never spoken about. Many first look at the atomic bombs. Bigger brain people turn to the Soviet Invasion of Manchuria. But hardly anyone reads about how the collapse of Japan's social fabric, scared the shit out of the Emperor and his closest advisors. You can't have a kokutai, without a populace that worshiped you.    When the emperor expressed in February, “What worries me is whether the nation [could] endure” long enough to achieve victory, he was not merely voicing concern for the suffering of his subjects; rather, he feared that such suffering could lead to social upheaval—in short, revolution. At that time, he referred to the ordinary, war-related hardships of food shortages, air raids, devastated cities, destruction of homes, and the omnipresent grief from the loss of loved ones. The atomic bomb escalated death, pain, and suffering to unimaginably higher levels, intensifying the threat from within. After the bombings of Japan and two atomic bombs, Hirohito was in a dark way, given a golden get out of jail free card. Hirohito could now save his suffering people from further anguish by surrendering, allowing him to deflect responsibility for leading them into misery while adopting an air of benevolence and care. Indeed, Hirohito did care—though not primarily for the Japanese people, but rather for the survival of his own imperial house and throne.   After the bombing of Hiroshima, Hirohito delayed for a full two days before instructing Kido, shortly before 10 A.M. on August 9, to “quickly control the situation” because “the Soviet [Union]” had declared war. Kido immediately communicated with Prime Minister Suzuki, who began arrangements for an Imperial Conference scheduled for later that night. Following the seidan of August 10, Chief Cabinet Secretary Sakomizu took charge of drafting the “Imperial Rescript Ending the War” based on Hirohito's directives. Assisted by two scholars of the Chinese classics, Kawada Mizuho and Yasuoka Masahiro, Sakomizu worked tirelessly for over three days before submitting a version of the rescript to the Suzuki cabinet. After six hours of contentious discussion on the night of August 14, the cabinet modified and approved the document. Hirohito promptly signed it, and Shimomura and Kido persuaded him to record a suitably opaque final version for broadcast to the nation.   On the night of August 14, the Suzuki government notified the United States and other Allied nations that it had accepted both the Potsdam Declaration and the Byrnes letter of August 11. Accelerating the emperor's actions during this climactic moment of the unconditional surrender drama was the American psychological warfare campaign. When a leaflet dropped from B-29 bombers came into Kido's possession on the night of August 13 or the morning of the fourteenth, he conferred with the emperor and explained the gravity of the situation. The latest enemy leaflets were informing the Japanese people of the government's notification of surrender under one condition, along with the full text of Byrnes's response. If this continued, it would undermine the imperial government's reliance on secrecy to obscure the true nature of the lost war and the reasons for the prolonged surrender delay.   Given Kido's and the emperor's concerns about rising signs of defeatism, including criticism of the throne, immediate action was necessary to prevent the populace from acting on their own initiative. Thus, the second seidan was convened. At noon on August 15, the Japanese people gathered around their radio receivers and heard, for the first time, the high-pitched voice of their emperor telling them:    “After pondering deeply the general trends of the world and the actual conditions obtaining in Our Empire today, We have decided to effect a settlement of the present situation by resorting to an extraordinary measure. We have ordered Our Government to communicate to the Governments of the United States, Great Britain, China and the Soviet Union that Our Empire accepts the provisions of their Joint Declaration. To strive for the common prosperity and happiness of all nations as well as the security and well-being of Our subjects is the solemn obligation which has been handed down by Our Imperial Ancestors and which lies close to Our heart. Indeed, We declared war on America and Britain out of Our sincere desire to ensure Japan's self-preservation and the stabilization of East Asia, it being far from Our thought either to infringe upon the sovereignty of other nations or to embark upon territorial aggrandizement. But now the war has lasted for nearly four years. Despite the best that has been done by everyone—the gallant fighting of the military and naval forces, the diligence and assiduity of Our servants of the State, and the devoted service of Our one hundred million people—the war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage, while the general trends of the world have all turned against her interest. Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to do damage is, indeed, incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives. Should we continue to fight, not only would it result in an ultimate collapse and obliteration of the Japanese nation, but also it would lead to the total extinction of human civilization. Such being the case, how are We to save the millions of Our subjects, or to atone Ourselves before the hallowed spirits of Our Imperial Ancestors? This is the reason why We have ordered the acceptance of the provisions of the Joint Declaration of the Powers... The hardships and sufferings to which Our nation is to be subjected hereafter will be certainly great. We are keenly aware of the inmost feelings of all of you, Our subjects. However, it is according to the dictates of time and fate that We have resolved to pave the way for a grand peace for all the generations to come by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is unsufferable”.   Clearly Hirohito sought to justify his decision to surrender by citing the dropping of the atomic bombs. He wanted to become the saviour of the Japanese people. Hirohito wanted to obfuscate the issue of accountability, to prevent expressions of strife and anger and to strengthen domestic unity around himself, to protect and raise the kokutai.  Interestingly, the surrender declaration to the civilian population was not the same one sent to the military. On August 17th Hirohito issued a second “rescript to soldiers and sailors” throughout the asia-pacific.   “ Now that the Soviet Union has entered the war against us, to continue . . . under the present conditions at home and abroad would only recklessly incur even more damage to ourselves and result in endangering the very foundation of the empire's existence. Therefore, even though enormous fighting spirit still exists in the Imperial Navy and Army, I am going to make peace with the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, as well as with Chungking, in order to maintain our glorious national polity”.   The lesser-known August 17 rescript to the army and navy specified Soviet participation as the sole reason for surrender, while maintaining the kokutai as the primary aim. Dissembling until the end—and even beyond—it was noted that the emperor presented two different justifications for his delayed surrender. Both statements were likely true.   Months later Hirohito's said this about his decision to surrender “The main motive behind my decision at that time was that if we . . . did not act, the Japanese race would perish and I would be unable to protect my loyal subjects [sekishi—literally, “children”]. Second, Kido agreed with me on the matter of defending the kokutai. If the enemy landed near Ise Bay, both Ise and Atsuta Shrines would immediately come under their control. There would be no time to transfer the sacred treasures [regalia] of the imperial family and no hope of protecting them. Under these circumstances, protection of the kokutai would be difficult. For these reasons, I thought at the time that I must make peace even at the sacrifice of myself.”    There exists this sort of childish argument today whether it was the atomic bombs or the Soviet Invasion that caused Japan to surrender. However, this overlooks as I think I've explained in 9000 words jeez, the influence of the kokutai. Defending the kokutai was Hirohito's number one priority. The Soviets threatened it. Communism threatened it. What Japan perceived to be “democracy” threatened it. American victory threatened it. And the destruction of Japan's social fabric threatened it. I love this one piece of history, that I have only come across in one book, that being the main one I am using here.   On August 12th, Hirohito came to the imperial family to tell them he had made the decision to surrender. His uncle Prince Yasuhiko Asaka asked him whether the war would be continued if the kokutai could not be preserved. Hirohito replied “of course”.

A delegation of some 250 US state legislators is currently visiting Israel, the largest ever bipartisan group of US lawmakers to visit the Jewish state. Here for just five days, the legislators – five from each state – are seeing for themselves the conflict as well as Israel’s prowess and are meeting with top leaders. Foreign Ministry officials hope they will be imbued with an better understanding of US-Israel relations that will be manifested in their support as they continue in their political careers. Reporter Arieh O’Sullivan spoke about the delegation with Nadav Zysblat, the director for consulates in the US Division of the Foreign Ministry. (photo: Yonatan Seindel/flash90) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A UN commission investigating the Gaza war has concluded that Israel is committing genocide, adding its voice to growing international concern from legal scholars and human rights organisations.It doesn't have the force of a court or the UN Security Council. But as a commission of eminent legal experts, its findings carry significant moral weight.Arab Barghouthi is the son of Marwan Barghouthi, who is perhaps the most popular Palestinian leader in the occupied territories. He has been in jail for two decades after refusing to take part in the legal process that ultimately convicted him of being involved in attacks that led to the deaths of five people. He denied involvement.In the podcast Arab Barghouthi makes claims about his father's alleged mistreatment in prison. The Israeli prison service has previously responded to these allegations by saying that they have been examined in court which concluded that there had been no violation of the law by the Israeli Prison Service. It also said that all detainees have the right to file a complaint that will be fully examined by official authorities.Israel's Foreign Ministry has categorically rejected the UN commission's report calling it "distorted and false". Israel has always strenuously denied all claims of genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid in relation to the Palestinian people.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. The government's weekly cabinet meeting is held in a secure location on Sunday after the IDF acknowledged it struck and killed the prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi government and several other ministers, and the Houthis have pledged to retaliate, says Berman. Following a Channel 12 report that three of Israel's top security officials are expected to argue that Israel should accept the current hostage deal that releases only some of the hostages, Berman believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue to demand a comprehensive deal that releases all hostages, as he has been consistently calling for that and is backed by US President Donald Trump. Berman discusses his interview in Gaza with the IDF's 7th Armored Brigade, a combat team that lost six hostages, two of whom are still alive and four whose bodies are held by Hamas. The brigade is working to take down buildings controlled by Hamas to reach the underground tunnels. The current diplomatic situation revolving around the prime minister's recent statement recognizing the Armenian genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century was presumably coordinated by Netanyahu with the Foreign Ministry, says Berman, possibly as a way of getting back at Turkey for its aggressive measures taken against Israel throughout the war. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Houthis, IDF confirm group’s prime minister, other top officials killed in Israeli strike Body of slain hostage Idan Shtivi identified days after recovery from Gaza ‘A wild gamble on hostages’ lives’: Defense chiefs to urge cabinet to eschew Gaza op, take deal For IDF’s 7th Brigade, return to Gaza City is personal: Six of its crew are held hostage In first, Netanyahu says he recognizes Armenian genocide Israeli airlines say they’re still traversing Turkish airspace despite declared closure Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at the recent decision by Western nations to recognise the State of Palestine. It came as a surprise to many, although it remains to be seen what it actual means for Palestinians. Either way, it angered Israel. And as Western states were announcing to recognise a Palestinian state, Israel was planning a major new offensive in Gaza, and Israeli citizens were on the streets protesting against the Netanyahu government. This week, what's Israel doing in Gaza, and why are some Israeli citizens protesting the move? What does the recognition of a state of Palestine mean for Israel? And is Israeli foreign diplomacy failing?We speak with Paul Scham, the former Professor of Israeli Studies at the University of Maryland; also, Nimrod Goren, President and Founder of Mitvim – The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies.This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China has lodged serious protests with Japan and demanded clarification after Japanese media reported that the Japanese government has called for a boycott through diplomatic channels of events scheduled in Beijing next month to commemorate the victory in World War II, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.中国外交部表示，日本媒体报道称，日本政府已通过外交渠道呼吁抵制下个月在北京举行的纪念二战胜利的活动，中国已向日本提出严重抗议，并要求日方作出澄清。This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War.今年是中国人民抗日战争（1931- 1945）暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年。On Sunday, Kyodo News Agency quoted unnamed sources as saying that Japanese diplomats have urged European nations and other Asian countries to refrain from attending the military parade and other commemorative events scheduled on Sept 3 in the Chinese capital.周日，日本共同社援引未具名消息人士的话说，日本外交官敦促欧洲国家和其他亚洲国家不要参加定于9月3日在中国首都举行的阅兵式和其他纪念活动。Addressing a daily news conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the Chinese government will host the commemorative events next month "to remember history, honor the martyrs, cherish peace and usher in a brighter future".在星期二于北京举行的每日新闻发布会上，外交部发言人郭佳琨表示，中国政府将于下个月主办纪念活动，“以铭记历史，缅怀烈士，珍惜和平，开创美好未来”。"Any country, as long as it faces history squarely, draws lessons from history and is committed to peaceful development, will not have misgivings about the events or even raise objections," he said.他说：“任何国家，只要正视历史，以史为鉴，坚持走和平发展道路，就不会对此产生疑虑，甚至提出异议。”According to the Kyodo News Agency report, Japan "seeks to prevent China's interpretation of history" from spreading, and has conveyed to European nations and other Asian countries through its embassies that the commemorative events have "anti-Japanese overtones".据日本共同社报道，日本“试图阻止中国对历史的解释”传播，并通过其大使馆向欧洲国家和其他亚洲国家传达了纪念活动具有“反日色彩”的信息。Japan has urged these countries to carefully consider the participation of their leaders in the events scheduled in Beijing, the report said.报道称，日本敦促这些国家认真考虑其领导人参加在北京举行的活动。Guo, the ministry spokesman, said that having a correct perception of and approach toward history has been an important prerequisite for Japan's return to the international community after WWII. 外交部发言人郭说，对历史有正确的认识和态度是日本在二战后重返国际社会的重要前提。It is the political foundation of Japan's relations with neighboring countries, and more important, a yardstick for Japan's commitment to peaceful development, he said. 他说，这是日本与周边国家关系的政治基础，更重要的是，这是日本致力于和平发展的标尺。Japan should squarely face and reflect on its history of aggression with an honest attitude, make a clean break with militarism, follow the path of peaceful development and respect the sentiments of the people of China and other victimized countries, in order to earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community, Guo added.日本应该以诚实的态度正视和反省侵略历史，与军国主义划清界限，走和平发展道路，尊重中国和其他受害国人民的感情，取信于亚洲邻国和国际社会。l commemorative eventsn.纪念活动l /kəˈmemərətɪv ɪˈvents/l face history squarelyphr.正视历史/feɪs ˈhɪstri ˈskweəli/

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened down 51-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 24,468 on turnover of 6.5-billion N-T. The market closed higher on Wednesday, as artificial intelligence-related stocks were in focus ahead of the release of Nvidia's quarterly earnings report. Analysts says investors are upbeat about A-I development and that resulted in them picking up AI-related stocks, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. Olympic gold medalist pledges to boost Taiwan sports as new minister Two-time Olympic badminton gold medalist Lee Yang says he will do his utmost to "make Taiwanese sports stronger." The statement comes after it was announced that Lee will head the newly-upgraded Ministry of Sports. The ministry is slated to be officially established next month. According to Lee, accepting the new position means a lot and also comes with greater responsibility. Lee announced his retirement from professional badminton in December of last year. The government has said the Ministry of Sports will be responsible for the development of the sports industry and the promotion of competitive and recreational sports (休閒運動). First French Polynesian delegation in 40 years visits Taiwan And, A delegation of French Polynesian politicians (政治人物) is making its first visit to Taiwan in nearly 40 years. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the seven-member delegation is visiting Taiwan until Saturday. The delegation will visit several government agencies, including the Ministry of Education, Council of Indigenous Peoples and Ministry of Agriculture. The group will also visit the Ita Thao tribe at Sun Moon Lake in Nantou and travel to the Ocean Affairs Council in Kaohsiung. Trump to chair meeting on post-war Gaza: Witkoff US President Donald Trump is expected to chair a meeting today focused on a post-war Gaza plan - that's according to special envoy Steve Witkoff. It comes as Israel intensifies a land offensive around Gaza City and images of starving children continue to emerge (出現，露出). Toni Waterman has more. Israel Drone Strikes in Syria Leave 8 Soldiers Wounded Israeli drone strikes on a southern suburb of Damascus have killed eight soldiers and wounded others. Syria's Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of international law and a breach of sovereignty. The Israeli military has not commented on the strikes. Since the fall of Bashar Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria. Israel's defense minister says the country's forces will remain indefinitely (無限期) in a security zone to protect settlements. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the strikes hit a point linking Damascus with the southern province of Sweida. Mexico Suspends Postal Service to US Mexico says its postal service is suspending package shipments to the United States, following similar steps taken by countries from the European Union and elsewhere. The announcement on Wednesday comes ahead of the Trump administration's end to an exemption to tariffs on low-value packages this week. Mexico's postal service will temporarily halt deliveries as officials seek clarity on the new rules. The exemption allowed packages worth less than $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. Mexico is in talks with U.S. authorities to resume (恢復) services. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

In today's episode, more than half of the 81,000 vehicles recalled in Cyprus due to faulty Takata airbags have now been fixed, according to the road transport department, however 33,000 remain pending as the deadline until October nears. Elsewhere, Cypriot aid bound for Gaza arrived at the Israeli port of Ashdod, the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday.Also, parents in Cyprus are being urged to shop smart this back-to-school season, as a new survey by the Consumers Association reveals wide price differences across school supplies.All this and more in today's Daily News Briefing brought to you by the Cyprus Mail.

Inside Israel's Uprising: Dr Alon Liel, former Director General of Israel's Foreign Ministry by Radio Islam

China announced on Thursday that it will introduce a new type of visa — a K visa — for young foreign talent in science and technology. 中国于周四宣布，将推出一种新的签证类型——K签证，专门用于吸引科技领域的年轻外籍人才。 The new visa type was unveiled after Premier Li Qiang signed a State Council decree to promulgate a decision amending the country's regulations on the administration of foreigners' entries and exits.新的签证类型是在李强总理签署国务院法令以颁布一项修正案后公布的，该修正案旨在修订我国有关外国人出入境管理的规定。 The decision came as China puts a greater emphasis on building a more proactive, open and effective talent policy.这一决定出台之际，中国正更加注重制定更具前瞻性、更加开放且更加有效的人才政策。 The K visa is a new addition to the ordinary visa categories and the new rules will take effect on Oct 1, according to the decision, which was drafted by the Ministry of Justice, along with the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Public Security and the National Immigration Administration.K 类签证是普通签证类别中的新增种类，新规定将于 10 月 1 日生效。该决定由司法部、外交部、公安部和国家移民管理局共同起草。 Applicants for the K visa should be young international professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher from prestigious universities or research institutions. In addition, it will be available to individuals involved in educational or research activities at prestigious universities or research institutions, according to a joint statement released by the four departments on Thursday night.申请 K 类签证的人员应为在科学、技术、工程和数学领域工作的年轻国际专业人才，他们需毕业于知名大学或研究机构并获得学士及以上学位。此外，根据周四晚间由四个部门联合发布的声明，该签证也适用于在知名大学或研究机构从事教育或研究工作的人员。 K visa holders are permitted to engage in activities in fields such as education, science and technology, and cultural exchanges, according to the joint statement.根据联合声明，K 类签证持有者被允许从事教育、科技以及文化交流等领域的工作。 Before this addition, there were 12 visa types classified based on the purposes of visiting China, including the L visa for sightseeing and tourism, the D visa for permanent residence and the G visa for transit through the country. 在此之前，根据访华目的，签证类型共分为 12 种，其中包括 L 类签证（用于观光旅游）、D 类签证（用于永久居留）以及 G 类签证（用于途经中国）。 Compared with other visa types, the K visa will offer holders more convenience in terms of the number of entries, validity period and duration of stay. The eligibility criteria for the K visa are set based on applicants' age, educational background and work experience, without requiring them to have an employer or inviting organization within China, according to the statement.与其他签证类型相比，K 签证将为持有者提供更多的便利，包括入境次数、有效期以及停留时间等方面。根据声明，K 签证的申请资格标准是基于申请人的年龄、教育背景和工作经历设定的，无需要求他们在中国有雇主或邀请机构。 The application process for this visa is designed to be more convenient, streamlining the steps for eligible applicants, it added.该签证的申请流程旨在更加便捷，简化了符合条件申请者的各项步骤，它补充道。 The Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Public Security, along with embassies and consulates abroad, will step up collaboration in management of the issuance, extension, renewal and replacement of K visas, as well as the residence and stay of K visa holders. They will provide appropriate assistance to applicants and holders of K visas in accordance with the law, the statement said.外交部、公安部以及驻外使领馆将加强在K签证签发、延期、换发和补发以及K签证持有人居留和停留管理方面的协作。声明表示，他们将依法为K签证申请人和持有人提供适当协助。 ● K visa n.K签证/keɪ ˈviːzə/ ● foreign talent n.外籍人才/ˈfɒrən ˈtælənt/

China will not back down, but will instead more resolutely safeguard its national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, authorities and experts said, after the Philippines and the United States separately dispatched warships, warplanes and official vessels to intrude into the territorial waters and airspace of China's Huangyan Island within just two days.中国方面表示，不会退缩，而是会更加坚决地捍卫本国的领土主权和海洋权益。这是有关官员和专家在菲律宾和美国分别派遣军舰、战机和公务船只在短短两天内擅自闯入中国黄岩岛领海和领空之后所发表的言论。 China's Navy forces expelled a US destroyer that illegally intruded on Wednesday into China's territorial waters near Huangyan Island in the South China Sea, according to a spokesperson with the People's Liberation Army.据中国人民解放军发言人表示，周三，一艘非法闯入中国南海黄岩岛附近领海的美国驱逐舰被中国海军部队驱离。 Senior Captain He Tiecheng, a spokesperson for the naval forces of the PLA's Southern Theater Command, said in a statement that the US destroyer USS Higgins illegally entered China's territorial waters off Huangyan Island without the approval of the Chinese government. The statement was released by the PLA Navy's South Sea Fleet.中国人民解放军南部战区海军部队的高级舰长何铁成在一份声明中表示，美国“吉辛”号驱逐舰未经中国政府批准擅自进入黄岩岛附近的中国领海。该声明由中国人民解放军海军南海舰队发布。 The spokesperson said that the theater command's Navy forces organized to track, monitor, issue warnings and expel the US warship in accordance with laws and regulations.这位发言人表示，海军部队指挥部门依照法律法规组织行动，对这艘美国军舰进行了跟踪、监控、发出警告并将其驱离。 "The actions of the US military seriously infringed upon China's sovereignty and security, severely undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea and contravened international law and basic norms governing international relations," He said, adding that the naval forces of the Southern Theater Command maintain high alert at all times.他表示：“美国军方的这些行动严重侵犯了中国的主权和安全，严重破坏了南海地区的和平与稳定，并违反了国际法和国际关系的基本准则。”他还补充道，南部战区的海军部队始终处于高度戒备状态。 On Monday, the China Coast Guard expelled multiple Philippine Coast Guard vessels, government ships and so-called fishing boats from the territorial waters around Huangyan Island. Meanwhile, Philippine military aircraft also intruded into the airspace over Huangyan Island.周一，中国海警部门驱离了多艘菲律宾海警船只、政府船只以及所谓的渔船进入黄岩岛周边的领海区域。与此同时，菲律宾军用飞机也擅自闯入了黄岩岛上空的领空。 Gan Yu, spokesman for the China Coast Guard, noted that the CCG took necessary measures in accordance with the law, including monitoring and blocking, to expel the Philippine vessels. Gan emphasized that China's on-site operations were "professional, standardized and legitimate", adding that the Philippine vessels had used the pretext of supplying fishing boats, ignoring China's repeated dissuasion and warnings and insisting on intrusion.中国海警局发言人甘宇指出，中国海警局依照法律规定采取了必要的措施，包括监测和拦截，以驱离菲律宾船只。甘宇强调，中国的现场行动“专业、规范且合法”，并补充说，菲律宾船只以提供给渔船补给为借口，无视中国多次的劝阻和警告，执意闯入。 "Huangyan Island is China's inherent territory," he said. "The CCG will continue to conduct rights protection and law enforcement activities in the waters of Huangyan Island lawfully to firmly safeguard national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."他说：“黄岩岛是中国的固有领土。中国海监局将继续依法在黄岩岛海域开展维权和执法行动，坚决捍卫国家领土主权和海洋权益。” Zhang Junshe, a former researcher at the PLA Naval Research Academy, said that the Philippines' deployment of various vessels and warplanes for intrusion indicated a "premeditated provocation". "The Philippines aims to continuously intrude into the airspace and waters here in various ways to achieve a de facto long-term presence, thereby attempting to assert its so-called sovereignty, which will surely be met with China's strong countermeasures," he said.张俊社，原海军研究院研究员表示，菲律宾部署各类舰艇和战机进行入侵行动表明这是一种“蓄意挑衅”。他说：“菲律宾旨在通过各种方式不断侵入此处的空域和海域，以实现事实上长期的占领，从而试图彰显其所谓的主权，这必将遭到中国的有力反击。” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian condemned the actions of the Philippines on Tuesday, saying that they seriously infringed on China's sovereignty and rights and interests, seriously harmed maritime peace and stability, and were of a malign nature.外交部发言人林坚周二对菲律宾的行为予以谴责，称其严重侵犯了中国的主权和权益，严重破坏了海上和平与稳定，且具有恶劣性质。 Lin emphasized that the facts have proved once again that the Philippines' deliberate infringements and provocations at sea are the root causes of the tense situation. He urged the Philippines to immediately cease its infringements and provocations.林强调，事实再次证明，菲律宾在海上蓄意的侵犯和挑衅行为是局势紧张的根源。他敦促菲律宾立即停止其此类行为。 Zhang, the researcher, said that Lin's response sent a clear warning: China will not back down but will instead take more decisive and tougher measures to safeguard its national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. "China's resolve will not be intimidated by the provocations of the Philippines and other external forces," he said, criticizing the US for its interference in the region.这位研究人员张表示，林的回应传递出了明确的信号：中国不会退缩，而是会采取更果断、更有力的措施来捍卫国家的领土主权和海洋权益。他说：“中国的决心不会因菲律宾等外部势力的挑衅而动摇。”他还批评了美国对该地区的干涉行为。 Liu Lin, a professor of international strategy at the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that the Philippines also meticulously prepared video materials for propaganda to shape a hyped narrative. "The Philippines is clearly the provocateur, yet it has carefully planned and prepared various video materials each time, attempting to portray itself as a victim in the international arena to garner sympathy," she said.中共中央党校国际战略学教授刘琳指出，菲律宾也精心准备了宣传视频材料，以构建一种夸大其词的叙事。她说：“菲律宾显然是挑起事端的一方，但每次它都会精心策划并准备各种视频材料，试图在国际舞台上将自己描绘成受害者，以博取同情。” territorial sovereigntyn.领土主权/ˌterəˈtɔːriəl ˈsɒvrənti/ maritime rights and interestsn.海洋权益/ˈmærɪtaɪm raɪts ənd ˈɪntrəsts/

Australia's ABC News claimed on Sunday that the United States administration's funding cuts to science programs in Antarctica "could create a void for China and Russia to fill", which should be a cause of concern for Canberra. 澳大利亚广播公司周日称，美国政府削减南极洲科学项目资金，“可能会让中国和俄罗斯趁虚而入”，堪培拉对此需保持警惕。To interpret China's normal scientific activities in Antarctica as a "threat" to Australia's national interest reflects a misguided and narrow mindset that ignores international law. It also brings to light the political bias and selfishness harbored by some in Australia who regard Antarctica as their country's own backyard. 将中国在南极洲的正常科学活动曲解为对澳大利亚国家利益的 “威胁”，这是一种无视国际法的错误且狭隘的心态，也暴露了澳大利亚部分人士将南极洲视为本国 “后花园” 的政治偏见与自私本性。In contrast to China's growing scientific footprint in Antarctica, the US, the traditional leader in Antarctic diplomacy and research, has significantly reduced funding for both Antarctica's largest research and logistics station, McMurdo, and the National Science Foundation which funds US research in Antarctica. 与中国在南极洲的科学活动日益拓展形成反差的是，作为南极洲外交与研究传统领军者的美国，已大幅削减对南极洲最大研究与后勤基地麦克默多站，以及为美国南极洲研究提供资金的国家科学基金会的投入。China now has five research stations on the continent, with the latest outpost, Qinling, officially opened and put into operation in February last year. The country has also, for the first time, overtaken the US in the number of research papers on Antarctica published in the past year. 目前，中国在南极洲拥有 5 个科考站，其中最新的秦岭站于去年 2 月正式启用并投入运营。过去一年，中国在南极洲研究领域发表的论文数量首次超过美国。 China's increasing presence and contributions in the region, consistent with its status as a consultative party to the Antarctic Treaty, are conducted strictly in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty System and should be recognized as being an important international public good. These efforts enhance humanity's scientific understanding of the remote southernmost continent and promote peaceful cooperation on and sustainable development of Antarctica. 中国在南极洲不断扩大存在并作出贡献，这与其《南极条约》协商国的地位相符，且完全依照南极条约体系开展，理应被视作重要的国际公共产品。这些努力增进了人类对这片遥远南极大陆的科学认知，推动了南极洲的和平合作与可持续发展。 The country's upgraded infrastructure construction on the continent is not only a practical necessity for conducting research in one of the world's harshest environments, but also "provides a platform for China's cooperation with other countries in scientific exploration, promoting peace and sustainable development in Antarctica", as a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on the opening of Qinling. 中国在南极洲升级基础设施建设，不仅是在这一全球最恶劣环境之一开展研究的实际需求，正如外交部发言人在秦岭站启用时所指出的，这也 “为中国与其他国家开展科学探索合作、促进南极洲和平与可持续发展搭建了平台”。To understand how absurd the Antarctica-related anti-China rhetoric is, it is essential to have a look at the framework governing Antarctica, namely the Antarctic Treaty. The treaty was established in 1959 and entered into force in 1961. It designates the continent as a zone of peace and science while prohibiting military activity, mineral mining and nuclear tests. It emphasizes scientific research and international cooperation, a common-good spirit that has largely been upheld by all its signatories. 要认清有关南极洲的反华言论有多荒谬，就得了解管理南极洲的基本框架 ——《南极条约》。该条约 1959 年制定、1961 年生效，将南极洲划定为和平与科学之地，禁止军事活动、矿产开采和核试验，强调科学研究与国际合作，这一公益精神在很大程度上得到了所有缔约国的遵循。The Antarctic Treaty sets out the governance mechanism for Antarctica and provides a system framework for the protection of the continent. The robust governance structure ensures that any nation's activities, including China's, are subject to international scrutiny and regulation. 《南极条约》确立了南极洲的治理机制，为这片大陆的保护提供了制度框架。这一健全的治理结构确保任何国家的活动，包括中国的活动，都处于国际监督与监管之下。Yet despite that, efforts at denigrating China and describing it as a "threat" to the region have never ceased. The Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank, falsely warned during Qinling's construction that the facility, with a satellite ground station, will have inherent dual-use capabilities, a worry that ABC News raised again in its latest report. What they intentionally ignored is that the US already exercised its right of inspection under the treaty to examine Qinling in 2020, and its inspectors found no evidence of militarization. 尽管如此，诋毁中国、将其描述为该地区 “威胁” 的企图从未停歇。美国智库战略与国际研究中心在秦岭站建设期间曾错误宣称，该设施设有卫星地面站，具有固有的军民两用能力，澳大利亚广播公司在最新报道中再度翻炒这一论调。但他们刻意回避的是，美国已于 2020 年依据条约行使检查权对秦岭站进行考察，检查人员并未发现任何军事化迹象。The intentional portrayal of China as a unilateral actor in Antarctica overlooks the collaborative nature of scientific research on the continent. Chinese scientists frequently participate in joint research projects with scientists from other countries, including Australia. This cooperation is facilitated by groups such as the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs, which promotes international scientific collaboration and data sharing. Over the past 40 years, China has become a key driving force in Antarctic scientific exploration. 刻意将中国塑造成南极洲的单边行动者，显然忽视了该大陆科学研究的合作属性。中国科学家经常与包括澳大利亚在内的其他国家科学家参与联合研究项目，这类合作得到国家南极计划管理者理事会等组织的推动，该理事会致力于促进国际科学合作与数据共享。过去 40 年来，中国已成为南极科学探索的关键力量。The notion of a "Chinese threat" in Antarctica is ill-conceived and ill-intentioned. It not only distorts facts, but distracts public attention from more pressing global issues such as climate change, which poses a genuine threat to the continent's fragile ecosystem and our planet as a whole. 所谓南极洲存在 “中国威胁” 的说法，既无事实依据，又包藏祸心。这不仅歪曲事实，还分散了公众对更紧迫全球性问题的关注，比如气候变化 —— 它才是对南极洲脆弱生态系统乃至整个地球的真正威胁。All countries involved must keep vigilance against moves that seek to turn Antarctica into another front of bloc confrontation based on ideology. The international community should work to ensure that Antarctica remains a continent of peace and science, benefiting all of humanity. China is willing to work with all parties to compose a new chapter of Antarctic research and protection. 所有相关国家都必须警惕那些试图将南极洲变成又一个基于意识形态的集团对抗前沿的行径。国际社会应共同努力，确保南极洲始终是和平与科学的大陆，造福全人类。中国愿与各方携手，共同书写南极研究与保护的新篇章。

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: President Vladimir Putin lays out his demands for ending the war in Ukraine, including major territorial concessions by Kyiv and global recognition of Russia's claims. Israel's Foreign Ministry defends its military after the killing of an Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza sparks condemnation worldwide. President Trump brokers a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ending nearly four decades of conflict in the Caucasus. And in today's Back of the Brief—A Chinese warship crashes into its own coast guard vessel while chasing a Philippine boat in the South China Sea. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com.Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. 866-885-1881 or visit https://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB - NMLS 182334, https://nmlsconsumeraccess.org   Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last time we spoke about the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. In the summer of 1945, Japan faced its most devastating siege, characterized by an aerial campaign called "Starvation" that crippled its industrial capabilities. As resources dwindled and chaos reigned, the Allies intensified their firebombing efforts, targeting major cities. By July, Japan was on the brink of collapse, culminating in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, where over 140,000 lives were altered or lost in a blinding flash. As the nation reeled from the destruction, the Japanese leadership was torn between surrender and continuing the fight. They faced not just the threat of American bombs, but also a Soviet invasion looming on the horizon. Days after Hiroshima, the atomic bomb "Fat Man" was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, resulting in catastrophic casualties and extensive industrial losses. This attack further devastated an already weakened Japan, leaving the Emperor and his government grappling with the dire consequences. This episode is the Invasion of Manchuria Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.    August 9 stands as a catastrophic day in Japanese history. On this day, the nation faced the devastating impact of a second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, along with the relentless Soviet invasion of Manchuria. Admiral Ivan Yumashev's Pacific Fleet moved to disrupt Japan's maritime communications in the Sea of Japan and provide support for offensive operations. At the same time, Soviet air forces targeted cities across Northeast Asia, striking both Manchuria and North Korea, as well as Japanese convoys in the Sea of Japan. General Twinning led a diversionary B-29 raid on Amagasaki, followed by a significant attack involving 108 aircraft on the rail yards at Marifu. In addition, Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet launched more strikes against airfields in northern Honshu and Hokkaido, where U.S. intelligence suspected a large Japanese air fleet and commando force was preparing for a desperate mission to Okinawa. Japanese paratroopers were gearing up for a new mission, codenamed Ken-go, but this time their target wasn't Okinawa. Similar to the earlier May 24 Raid on Yontan Airfield, Lieutenant General Sugawara Michio's Giretsu Kuteitai, also known as the “Heroic Paratroopers,” set their sights on the B-29 complex in the Mariana Islands for nighttime suicide raids. This operation marked the second planned assault on bases within the Mariana Islands, specifically aimed at destroying B-29 bombers. The plan involved deploying 60 transport aircraft to deliver 900 commandos during the nights of August 19 to 23. Around 300 personnel from Lieutenant Commander Daiji Yamaoka's 1st Kure Special Naval Landing Force initiated preparations at the end of June. Originally established for submarine-delivered raids on U.S.-held islands, these forces were now adapted to be flown in 30 Mitsubishi G4M 'Betty' twin-engine bombers, which had the necessary range for an unrefueled, one-way trip to the Marianas. The raid was initially scheduled for July 24. However, ten days earlier, U.S. carrier-based warplanes had attacked Misawa naval air base on Honshu Island, damaging or destroying many of the operation's bombers. Consequently, the raid was postponed to August 19, with the addition of 30 transport planes and 300 paratroopers from the army's 1st Raiding Regiment. Ultimately, however, on August 15, Japan surrendered, and Operation Ken-go was cancelled. Meanwhile, Admiral Shafroth's Bombardment Group unleashed heavy damage on the Kamaishi steel mill. The day after, to assist the Soviets, Halsey ordered additional airstrikes on northern Japanese airfields, causing extensive destruction. However, these were not isolated incidents; they were part of a sustained air-sea siege that had been intensifying for several months. The Allied blockade of Japan had severely impacted food imports, and industrial activity had nearly ground to a halt due to the ongoing blockade and bombings. By this point, six of Japan's ten largest cities had been completely destroyed, and over sixty smaller cities had been reduced to ashes from relentless incendiary raids. This scenario was a powerful manifestation of War Plan Orange in action. More critically, with the reality of Hiroshima's destruction echoing loudly, the Japanese government now grappled with the impending threat of complete annihilation, a grim reality they had never faced before in this war. Though they had recognized their defeat with the loss of Saipan and the initial Yawata raid, the stubborn resolve of the Japanese leadership had pushed them to prolong the conflict for an agonizing 14 months, clinging to the hope of a different outcome. Many now believed that peace was the only path to survival for the Japanese nation. As the crisis intensified, Prime Minister Suzuki and his cabinet engaged in heated discussions. He sought to persuade War Minister General Anami Korechika and Chief of the Army General Staff General Umezu Yoshijiro to accept the Potsdam Declaration on August 9. However, Suzuki and the militants could only agree that if there were any surrender, then it should ensure that the "national polity" or imperial family would continue in any postwar settlement. Anami and Umezu pushed for further, more favourable conditions. First, Japan would demobilize and disarm any IJA or IJN forces overseas. Second, Japanese courts would prosecute any war criminals. Third, after surrender the Allies would not occupy Japan. Chief of the Navy General Staff, Admiral Toyoda Soemu, agreed with Anami and Umezu. To break this deadlock, it became necessary to involve the Emperor directly. Around 2:00 AM on August 10, the cabinet convened with Emperor Hirohito, who ultimately agreed to accept the Potsdam Declaration and ordered an end to all military efforts, initiating the surrender process. Faced with no viable alternatives, all present reached a unanimous agreement. That morning, the Japanese government, through Swedish and Swiss intermediaries, sent an offer to accept the Potsdam Declaration, stipulating one condition: there would be no change to Japan's government structure, with Hirohito retaining his title as Emperor and sovereign ruler. Months afte the war Hirohito said this about his decision to surrender “The main motive behind my decision at that time was that if we . . . did not act, the Japanese race would perish and I would be unable to protect my loyal subjects [sekishi—literally, “children”]. Second, Kido agreed with me on the matter of defending the kokutai. If the enemy landed near Ise Bay, both Ise and Atsuta Shrines would immediately come under their control. There would be no time to transfer the sacred treasures [regalia] of the imperial family and no hope of protecting them. Under these circumstances, protection of the kokutai would be difficult. For these reasons, I thought at the time that I must make peace even at the sacrifice of myself.” Simultaneously, a new military campaign was underway, and several units of General Yamada's Kwantung Army were unexpectedly caught off-guard in Manchuria. In response, he implemented emergency measures and ordered commands to proceed with their plans for delaying operations. Upon learning of the Soviet declaration of war and the subsequent invasion led by Marshal Vasilevsky's Far East Command, Tokyo decided to place General Kozuki's 17th Area Army under the Kwantung Army. Furthermore, they instructed General Okamura Yasuji's China Expeditionary Army to transfer one army headquarters, along with six divisions and six brigades, to support this effort. As directed by Tokyo, the primary objective of the Kwantung Army was to defend Japanese territory in Korea. However, by the end of the first day of conflict, several border observation units had been completely destroyed while attempting to defend their positions. In the east, Lieutenant General Shimizu Noritsune's 5th Army, supported by the reinforced 128th Division, was confronting the main assault by Marshal Meretskov's 1st Far Eastern Front. To the south, Lieutenant General Murakami Keisaku's 3rd Army was engaged in defending against multiple penetrations along the border. In the northern sector, the 134th Division at Chiamussu was withdrawing towards Fangcheng, as planned, while flames engulfed Japanese houses in the city. General Uemura's 4th Army was preparing to face what they expected to be the main assault from General Purkayev's 2nd Far Eastern Front. Meanwhile, the 119th Division had already departed Hailar for Wunoerh, leaving only the 80th Independent Mixed Brigade behind. To the west, Lieutenant General Hongo Yoshio's 44th Army was confronting the formidable armored spearhead of Marshal Malinovsky's Transbaikal Front. Southwest of their position, the 108th Division was redeploying to the Chinhsien area. On August 10, the offensive led by Vasilevsky continued, as Colonel General Ivan Managarov's 53rd Army began crossing the border behind the now distant 6th Guards Tank Army. Recognizing that the 44th Army was not prepared to engage the overwhelming enemy armor in guerrilla warfare across the expansive terrain of western Manchuria, General Ushiroku made the independent decision to order Hongo to retreat to the Dairen-Hsinking line. This was where Lieutenant General Iida Shojiro's 30th Army was already establishing defensive positions. This decision contradicted Yamada's main strategy, which called for delaying the enemy advance at the borders.  Faced with what they deemed an illegal order, the Kwantung Army Headquarters convened an urgent staff conference. During this meeting, several opinions emerged: a sudden shift from established plans would likely create confusion; any attempt to counterattack after a withdrawal would likely fail if the enemy advanced quickly; and abandoning forward airfields prematurely would enable the enemy to advance unimpeded. To most participants, General Ushiroku's decision seemed to deliver a potentially fatal blow to the overall operational direction of the Kwantung Army Headquarters. However, since the 44th Army had already begun its withdrawal as ordered by General Ushiroku, Kwantung Army Headquarters was left with a fait accompli. Thus, they felt compelled to uphold the decision of the Third Area Army Commander, which was subsequently approved by General Yamada. Meanwhile, General Pliyev's cavalry-mechanized units advanced rapidly toward Kalgan and Dolonnor, reaching the foothills of the Grand Khingan Mountains. General Danilov's 17th Army also continued to encounter weak resistance, covering an additional 40 kilometers. General Lyudnikov's 39th Army bypassed the encircled 107th Division in the Halung-Arshaan and Wuchakou Fortified Regions. Here, the 5th Guards Rifle Corps moved toward Solun and Tepossi, while the 113th Rifle Corps advanced southeast toward Wangyemiao. The 94th Rifle Corps had to divert southward to support the 124th Rifle Division. In the east, General Luchinsky's 36th Army launched ongoing attacks against Hailar, with the 2nd Rifle Corps bypassing it to the east. Meanwhile, General Kravchenko's 6th Guards Tank Army reorganized its right-wing column and began crossing the Grand Khingan Mountains during the night, with both columns entering the central Manchurian plain by August 11. To the east, Meretskov continued his offensive. The 17th, 65th, and 72nd Rifle Corps of General Krylov's 5th Army advanced swiftly west and south, ultimately securing Machiacho, Laotsaiying, Suiyang, and Suifenho. This maneuver widened the zone of penetration to 75 kilometers and forced the 126th and 135th Divisions to withdraw their main forces to Yehho. In support, General Beloborodov's 1st Red Banner Army to the north broke through into open terrain, pushing rapidly westward to occupy parts of the cities of Pamientung and Lishuchen, along with their vital bridges across the Muleng River. Further south, General Chistyakov's 25th Army captured Tungning and successfully reduced its fortified region. Units in that area also secured Tumentzu, Hunchun, and Wuchiatzu. Lastly, General Zakhvatayev's 35th Army continued its operations far to the north. The 264th Rifle Division and the 109th Fortified Region seized Hutou and initiated a movement west along the railroad toward Hulin, while the 363rd and 66th Rifle Divisions pressed on with their advance northwestward. In northern Manchuria, General Purkayev continued his main assault, with General Mamonov's 15th Army reconnoitering key enemy strongholds south of the Amur River. After successfully crossing the river, the 34th Rifle Division and the 203rd Tank Brigade occupied Lopei and advanced through Fenghsiang to bypass the Hsingshanchen Fortified Region, leaving a force behind to reduce it. Meanwhile, the 361st Rifle Division captured Tungchiang, and the 388th Rifle Division secured Chienchingkou, preparing for an advance toward Fuchin. In support of these operations, General Pashkov's 5th Rifle Corps cleared Japanese forces from the Jaoho Fortified Region, while General Teryokhin's 2nd Red Banner Army was preparing to launch its offensive the following morning. On August 11, forward units landed at Heiho, Aihun, and Holomoching under the cover of artillery fire, quickly establishing a beachhead as additional forces crossed the Amur. However, due to a lack of crossing equipment, it took five days to transport all units across the river. Consequently, Teryokhin had to commit his forces piecemeal against the 123rd Division and the 135th Independent Mixed Brigade. This was not the only new offensive operation initiated by Purkayev on this day. A new target had emerged: South Sakhalin, known as Karafuto to the Japanese. As per Vasilevsky's plans, Major-General Leonty Cheremisov's 16th Army was deployed on North Sakhalin and along the mainland coast of the Tatar Strait, stretching from Sovetskaya Gavan to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. If the invasion of Manchuria continued to progress favorably, this force was set to attack the Japanese-controlled portion of the island alongside the Northern Pacific Flotilla, commanded by Vice-Admiral Vladimir Andreyev, which was prepared to conduct amphibious operations against Esutoru and Maoka on the island's west coast. Opposing the Soviet forces, General Higuchi of the 5th Area Army positioned Lieutenant General Mineki Toichiro's 88th Division in the southern part of South Sakhalin, with only the 125th Regiment stationed to the north. Sakhalin shared many characteristics with several of the Manchukuoan border areas, presenting challenging terrain for mechanized warfare. The only viable invasion route south from the border at the 50th Parallel followed the Poronay River, located more or less in the center of the island. This river flows southward, flanked to the east and west by forested mountain ranges, as well as countless swamps and bogs. Both sides recognized the strategic importance of this potential invasion route and constructed extensive fortification networks. The Japanese fortifications were collectively known as the Koton, or Haramitog, fortified region. These defenses were built in three interlinked layers, with their western flanks anchored in the mountain range and eastern flanks in the wooded, swampy river valley. The permanent defenses spanned approximately 12 kilometers in frontage and extended up to 30 kilometers in depth, containing over 350 bunkers, pillboxes, artillery positions, and similar fortifications. These were protected by an elaborate network of infantry trenches, anti-tank ditches, minefields, and barbed wire. The heavy forest and brush made it challenging to locate these defenses. While enough vegetation had been cleared to allow for effective defensive fire, sufficient cover remained to obscure them from an attacking force. Consequently, the 16th Army would confront these formidable defenses without the advantage of surprise. At daybreak on August 9, reports emerged that the Soviet Army had unexpectedly invaded Manchuria from multiple directions. By 8:00 AM, telegraph lines were cut near Handa, a village located at the center of the Russo-Japanese border in Sakhalin. An excellent military road connected Handa to Kamishikuks, a region known as the Central Military Road area. At the same time, reports indicated that enemy forces were attacking the observation posts in this area. On August 10,  observation posts were forced to withdraw as the Soviet Army gradually advanced toward our main position in the Happo Mountains, situated about 10 kilometers south of the border. That evening, it was reported that the 125th Infantry had engaged in a skirmish, during which the Isunisawa Platoon, fighting near the Handa River bridge for over five hours, was wiped out. On that same day, the commander of the Fifth Area Army declared that not only had the Army engaged Soviet forces, but civilians in the area, including office workers and laborers, had also joined the battle in a desperate attempt to halt the advancing Soviet Army. By August 13, the National Volunteer Combat Teams were summoned. The recruitment of these volunteer combat teams from the general populace was unique to the Sakhalin campaign, aimed at creating the appearance of military readiness to deter the Soviet advance. Additionally, the 125th Regiment executed demolitions while retreating to establish stronger defensive positions on the western flank of Happo Mountain, northwest of Furuton. Given the unexpectedly favorable developments in Manchuria, the invasion of South Sakhalin was authorized on August 10. General Yumashev further directed Vice-Admiral Andreyev's naval forces to commence attacks on both South Sakhalin and the Kuriles. Major General Georgii Dziuba's air forces joined the effort, conducting reconnaissance flights over key Japanese ports that revealed Toro and Esutoru were almost entirely unprotected. In the early hours of August 11, the 56th Rifle Corps crossed the border and began its main advance along the central military road but encountered resistance at Handa, where around 100 defenders held them up for an entire day. Back in northern Manchuria, the 5th Rifle Corps embarked on a challenging march southwest toward Paoching, while Mamonov launched a bombing raid followed by an attack on Fuchin, which ultimately fell after a coordinated tank-infantry assault. Concurrently, the 4th Army headquarters and the bulk of the 149th Division received orders to retreat from Tsitsihar to Harbin. To the south, the 112th Fortified Region and the 6th Field Fortified Region crossed the Muleng River south of Mishan during the night. In the following days, they collaborated with units from the 35th Army to secure the Mishan Fortified Region. More importantly, the 26th and 59th Rifle Corps successfully secured Pamientung and Lishuchen, initiating a pursuit of withdrawing Japanese forces to the west and southwest. On August 11, the 5th Army advance continued, with reinforced forward detachments of the 65th and 72nd Rifle Corps reaching the Muleng River and preparing for an advance on Mutanchiang. At this juncture, Meretskov reassessed the situation and determined that his best opportunity for successful exploitation in the front zone lay within the 25th Army area. Consequently, he attached the 17th and 88th Rifle Corps to this command and placed the 10th Mechanized Corps in army reserve. This allowed the 17th and 39th Rifle Corps to commence a coordinated advance toward Wangching, Tumen, Tunhua, and Kirin. Looking west, Pliyev's units continued to encounter minimal resistance. The 17th Army was finally nearing the western foothills of the Grand Khingan Mountains. The lead brigade of the 5th Guards Tank Corps reached Lupei, while the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps completed its crossing of the Grand Khingan Mountains. The 39th Army maintained its holding operations against the Halung-Arshaan and Wuchakou Fortified Regions, coupled with main advances toward Solun and Wangyemiao. The 2nd Rifle Corps and the 205th Tank Brigade advanced along the railroad to Yakoshih. The 94th Rifle Division, supported by air and artillery, launched an assault and captured the southwestern portion of Hailar city before being reinforced by the entire 86th Rifle Corps. Meanwhile, the Soviet operational group on the right flank of the 36th Army broke through Japanese resistance at Manchouli, moving eastward along the rail line to join the Soviet forces besieging Hailar. As the Soviet armored units in the west made an unexpectedly swift advance, they were anticipated to reach Hsinking by August 15. On this same day, Yamada decided to relocate his headquarters to Tunghua. Additionally, during the night, a small naval force successfully conducted an assault landing at Yuki in North Korea, securing the port unopposed on August 12. Simultaneously, the 393rd Rifle Division pushed south into North Korea, quickly reaching Yuki before continuing toward Rashin. There, another small naval force landed on August 12, facing minimal resistance except for artillery fire. Meanwhile, the 25th Army advanced up to 40 kilometers in its main march southwest, prompting the commitment of the 10th Mechanized Corps to exploit further toward Wangching and beyond. The 5th Army had to eliminate a strong enemy position east of Taimakou before it could resume its advance to Mutanchiang. The 1st Red Banner Army pressed forward relentlessly, with the 26th Rifle Corps successfully bypassing Tzuhsingtun to advance on Hsientung, cutting the Linkou-Mutanchiang railroad line. The 363rd Rifle Division occupied Mishan while the 264th Rifle Division secured Hulin. The 171st Tank Brigade began a challenging advance southwest toward Chiamussu as the 15th Army reduced the Fuchin fortified region. Forward detachments of the 2nd Red Banner Army engaged Japanese advanced positions south of Holomoching and north of Aihun. After reducing Handa, the 56th Rifle Corps commenced an advance toward Furuton, although it faced delays from small enemy forces. Furthermore, in western Manchuria, Pliyev's Soviet-Mongolian formations and the 17th Army continued their advance through Inner Mongolia largely unopposed for the next two days. Throughout 12 and 13 August on the Trans-Baikal Front's right flank, the Soviet-Mongolian formations of General Pliyev swept across the Inner Mongolian deserts towards Dolonnor and Kalgan at a rate of ninety to one hundred kilometers a day, rudely shunting aside local cavalry forces. Pliyev's principal concern was providing his forces in the vast desert wastes sufficient food, fuel, fodder, and water. The 6th Guards Tank Army had to temporarily halt its advance as the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps reached Tuchuan. This pause was necessary due to severe fuel shortages, requiring an increase in fuel supplies before the offensive could resume. This situation allowed Ushiroku to withdraw the 63rd and 117th Divisions before they could be engaged. However, the 107th Division was less fortunate, as it was attacked by the 5th Guards Rifle Corps on the road to Solun. On the northern flank, the 36th Army continued its siege of the Hailar fortifications while the 2nd Rifle Corps seized Yakoshih and advanced up to Wunoerh. That day, Japan also received the initial Allied response to its surrender offer, penned by Secretary of State James Byrnes and approved by the British, Chinese, and Soviet governments. A critic of the Japanese imperial system, Byrnes insisted on an unconditional surrender but remained ambiguous regarding the future of the imperial family's position. The response included a statement that Japan's future form of government should be “established by the freely expressed will of the Japanese people.” Thus, even though the Soviet and Chinese governments aimed for the abolition of the imperial system, the Japanese could choose to retain their emperor, and likely would. Meanwhile, Secretary Stimson urged President Truman to accept the peace offer immediately, believing that, without an organized surrender supported by the emperor, U.S. forces would face “a score of bloody Iwo Jimas and Okinawas” across China and Southeast Asia. He cautioned that without the immediate capitulation of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy, rogue military commanders might continue to resist. Retaining Hirohito would also aid Allied efforts to achieve a swift and orderly reconstruction while maintaining a compliant populace. The Japanese cabinet deliberated over the Allied response, with Anami and Suzuki, among other key military figures, arguing for its rejection unless an explicit guarantee for the imperial system was provided. Ultimately, however, Foreign Minister Togo and Marquess Kido Koichi succeeded in persuading Suzuki to support the acceptance of Byrnes' reply. Meanwhile, President Truman issued instructions prohibiting any further atomic weapons from being dropped on Japan without his approval, and he later ordered a complete halt to all bombings. Despite this, Halsey's 3rd Fleet remained in the area, preparing to launch additional strikes. Admiral Rawlings' Task Force 37 unfortunately had to retire at this point, though a token force was integrated into Admiral McCain's Task Force 38 to ensure British support until the end.  The Olympic timetable had called for Third Fleet to retire to Eniwetok and Manus in mid-August, but late on the night of August 10 Missouri intercepted a cryptic radio transmission: “Through the Swiss government, Japan has stated that she is willing to accept Allied surrender ultimatum at Potsdam, provided they can keep their Emperor.” Halsey had long predicted an early Japanese collapse, and had accordingly kept his logistic pipeline full. The following morning, August 11, flagships Missouri and King George V refueled simultaneously alongside oiler USS Sabine. Halsey recalled, “I went across to the ‘Cagey Five' as we called her, on an aerial trolley, just to drink a toast with Vice Admiral Rawlings.” Although Japan teetered near collapse, TF-37 lacked its own fast oilers and would have to retire immediately. With Nimitz's permission Halsey offered to sustain a token British force with Third Fleet so that the Royal Navy would be in “at the death.” Rawlings enthusiastically accepted. After replenishment, King George V, Indefatigable, Gambia, Newfoundland, and ten destroyers were re-designated TG-38.5 and absorbed into McCain's TF-38. The rest of TF-37, under Vian, reluctantly retired for Manus. In a truly desultory attack the following day, August 12, a single Japanese plane penetrated Buckner Bay, Okinawa undetected and torpedoed TF-95's just-arrived battleship Pennsylvania. Twenty Americans were killed, while Oldendorf and nine others were wounded. Back off Honshu, Halsey canceled August 12 strikes due to a typhoon. Late that night Third Fleet intercepted a confusing and ambiguous radio bulletin announcing that Japan had, with qualifications, accepted Allied terms. After a heated staff conference Halsey decided that, without firmer information, the following day's strikes were still on. Nevertheless, the prolonged negotiations were causing the Third Fleet considerable logistical problems; Halsey recalled, “Our galleys were reduced to serving dehydrated carrot salad. If the war was over, we could provision on the spot; if it was not, we would have to retire, reprovision, and return.” That night, a group of officers led by Major Hatanaka Kenji and Colonel Arao Okikatsu approached Anami, seeking his backing for a coup d'état to prevent Japan's surrender. Anami refused, leaving Hatanaka's conspirators to attempt the coup on their own. At the recommendation of American psychological operations experts, B-29 bombers spent August 13 dropping leaflets over Japan detailing the Japanese offer of surrender and the Allied response. In stark contrast, that same day, McCain's newly Anglo-American TF-38 launched 1,167 sorties against Tokyo, expending 372 tons of bombs and 2,175 rockets. Only seven planes and one pilot were lost, none to combat. Airborne opposition was virtually nil, as Lieutenant-General Kanetoshi Kondo, commander of Tokyo's defending 10th Hiko Shidan, “failed to urge his men to press the attack to the utmost, because it seemed absurd to incur additional losses with the war obviously lost and its termination due in a matter of days.”  Simultaneously, Suzuki's cabinet debated their reply to the Allied response late into the night but remained deadlocked. Back in Manchuria, on August 13, the 6th Guards Tank Army resumed its offensive by pushing reconnaissance units toward Tungliao and Taonan. The 39th Army continued its assault on Japanese units at Halung-Arshaan, while the 5th Guards Rifle Corps attacked and captured Solun. To the north, as the battle for Hailar raged on, the 2nd Rifle Corps engaged the determined 119th Division for control of the Grand Khingan passes west of Pokotu, achieving little progress over the next two days. Looking east, the 2nd Red Banner Army gathered sufficient forces to resume its offensive, successfully penetrating the defenses of the 123rd Division at Shenwutan and Chiko. They destroyed small Japanese outposts at Huma and Santaoka, further pushing the 135th Independent Mixed Brigade toward the main fortified region at Aihun. Additionally, the 15th Army reduced the fortified positions at Fuchin, while the 171st Tank Brigade continued its advance toward Chiamussu. To the south, the 66th Rifle Division finally occupied Tungan, cutting the highway and railroad to Hutou. Meanwhile, the 59th Rifle Corps reached and secured Linkou before turning south toward Mutanchiang. Advance elements of the 26th Rifle Corps attacked and occupied the railroad station at Hualin, though they could not secure crossing sites over the Mutan River due to the fierce resistance of a single battalion. During the night, heavy Japanese counterattacks forced Soviet forces back to a hill northeast of Hualin. More importantly, while the 45th Rifle Corps continued to reduce remaining Japanese strongpoints in the Volynsk, Suifenho, and Lumintai centers of resistance, the bulk of the 5th Army advanced 30 kilometers along the road and rail line, successfully approaching the outer fortifications of Mutanchiang by nightfall. Even farther south, the 25th Army pushed southwestward, with its three formations sharing a single road along the military rail line through the mountainous, heavily wooded area from Laoheishan to Heitosai. In South Sakhalin, the 56th Rifle Corps launched a siege attack against Furuton. However, the fierce resistance of the 125th Regiment successfully repelled Soviet assaults for the next three days. On the same day, in preparation for an amphibious invasion of Toro, two naval patrol craft reconnoitered Esutoru. Additionally, Meretskov approved the Seishin Operation in North Korea, leading to another small naval force landing successfully at Chongjin that afternoon. Soon after, they faced a strong Japanese counterattack, which drove the landing force out of the port and inflicted heavy losses on the Russians. The following morning, a naval infantry battalion was landed to retake Chongjin, but Japanese reinforcements from the Nanam Divisional District Unit arrived to contest the port. As the Russians were pushed back again, Yumashev decided to embark the 13th Naval Infantry Brigade for a third assault scheduled for August 15. To the north, the 393rd Rifle Division advanced south along the coast, reaching Kwangjuryong by August 14. Concurrently, after breaking through the 128th Division's main defenses at Lotzukou, the 25th Army reached Heitosai and prepared to launch its main attack against Murakami's 3rd Army. The 5th Army struck the right flank of Shimizu's 5th Army at Ssutaoling and in the hills southeast of Mutanchiang, while the 1st Red Banner Army attacked the northern and eastern flanks of the city and the railroad station at Yehho on the eastern bank of the Mutan River. The 35th Army began a rapid advance toward Poli and Linkou, encountering negligible opposition. Meanwhile, the 5th Rifle Corps reached Paoching, drove off its garrison, and continued marching toward Poli. In addition, the 15th Army finally reduced the Hsingshanchen Fortified Region, opening a more direct advance route toward Chiamussu. Meanwhile, the 2nd Red Banner Army succeeded in breaking through the outer Japanese defenses to besiege the Sunwu Fortified Region and surround the Aihun Fortified Region. To the west, the 36th Army continued to encounter strong resistance at Hailar and Wunoerh. The 5th Guards Rifle Corps initiated a southeastward pursuit along the railroad toward Wangyemiao, eventually catching elements of the 107th Division at Tepossi, while also engaging Japanese units retreating from the Wuchakou area. The forward detachment of the 7th Guards Mechanized Corps occupied Taonan after a march hindered by wet weather and Japanese kamikaze attacks. The 17th Army captured Taopanshin, and Pliyev's left column overcame a small Manchurian cavalry force, entering Dolonnor at the east end of the pass across the southern Grand Khingan Mountains. Back in the Pacific, the Allies grew restless as they awaited a Japanese response, ultimately interpreting the silence as a non-acceptance of the imposed peace terms. Consequently, Truman ordered a resumption of attacks against Japan at maximum intensity. More than 400 B-29 bombers launched daylight attacks, while over 300 conducted night raids, culminating in what would become the largest and longest bombing raid of the Pacific War. Furthermore, Truman began planning to drop a third atomic bomb on Tokyo. However, before he could proceed, Emperor Hirohito met with the most senior Army and Navy officers in the early hours of August 14, convincing them to cooperate in ending the war. The cabinet immediately convened and unanimously ratified the Emperor's wishes for an unconditional surrender. They also decided to destroy vast amounts of material related to war crimes and the war responsibilities of the nation's highest leaders. Shortly after concluding the conference, a group of senior army officers, including Anami, gathered in a nearby room and signed an agreement to execute the Emperor's order of surrender. This decision would significantly impede any attempts to incite a coup in Tokyo. During this meeting, General Kawabe Torashirō, Vice Chief of the Army General Staff, proposed that the senior officers present should each sign an agreement to carry out the Emperor's order of surrender, "The Army will act in accordance with the Imperial Decision to the last." An agreement was ultimately signed by each of the most important officers present, including Minister of War Anami, Chief of the Army General Staff Umezu, commander of the 1st General Army Field Marshal Sugiyama Hajime, commander of the 2nd General Army Field Marshal Hata Shunroku and Inspector-General of Military Training Doihara Kenji. When Umezu voiced concern about air units causing trouble, Vice Minister of War Wakamatsu Tadaichi took the agreement next door to the Air General Army headquarters, where its commander Kawabe Masakazu, the brother of Torashirō also signed. The document would serve to seriously impede any attempt to incite a coup in Tokyo. Simultaneously, the Foreign Ministry transmitted orders to its embassies in Switzerland and Sweden to accept the Allied terms of surrender, which were received in Washington at 02:49 on August 14. Anticipating difficulties with senior commanders on distant war fronts, three princes of the Imperial Family, who held military commissions, were dispatched to deliver the news personally. By 19:00, the text of the Imperial Rescript on surrender was finalized, transcribed by the official court calligrapher, and presented to the cabinet for their signatures. Around 23:00, the Emperor, with assistance from an NHK recording crew, made a gramophone record of himself reading the rescript. At long last, Japan had admitted defeat.  However at around 21:30 on 14 August, the conspirators led by Hatanaka set their plan into motion. The Second Regiment of the First Imperial Guards had entered the palace grounds, doubling the strength of the battalion already stationed there, presumably to provide extra protection against Hatanaka's rebellion. But Hatanaka, along with Lt. Col. Shiizaki Jirō, convinced the commander of the 2nd Regiment of the First Imperial Guards, Colonel Haga Toyojirō, of their cause, by telling him (falsely) that Generals Anami and Umezu, and the commanders of the Eastern District Army and Imperial Guards Divisions were all in on the plan. Hatanaka also went to the office of Tanaka Shizuichi, commander of the Eastern region of the army, to try to persuade him to join the coup. Tanaka refused, and ordered Hatanaka to go home. Hatanaka ignored the order. Originally, Hatanaka hoped that simply occupying the palace and showing the beginnings of a rebellion would inspire the rest of the Army to rise up against the move to surrender. This notion guided him through much of the last days and hours and gave him the blind optimism to move ahead with the plan, despite having little support from his superiors. Having set all the pieces into position, Hatanaka and his co-conspirators decided that the Guard would take over the palace at 02:00. The hours until then were spent in continued attempts to convince their superiors in the Army to join the coup. Hatanaka, Shiizaki, Ida, and Captain Shigetarō Uehara (of the Air Force Academy) went to the office of Lt. Gen. Takeshi Mori to ask him to join the coup. Mori was in a meeting with his brother-in-law Michinori Shiraishi. The cooperation of Mori, who was the commander of the 1st Imperial Guards Division, was vital. When Mori refused to side with Hatanaka, Hatanaka killed him, fearing Mori would order the Guards to stop the rebellion. Uehara killed Shiraishi. These were the only two murders of the night. Hatanaka then used General Mori's official stamp to authorize Imperial Guards Division Strategic Order No. 584, a false set of orders created by his co-conspirators, which would greatly increase the strength of the forces occupying the Imperial Palace and Imperial Household Ministry, and "protecting" the Emperor. The rebels, led by Hatanaka, spent the next several hours fruitlessly searching for the recordings of the surrender speech, failing to locate them amid a blackout caused by American bombings. Around the same time, another group of Hatanaka's rebels, led by Captain Takeo Sasaki, targeted Prime Minister Suzuki's office with the intent to kill him. When they found it empty, they opened fire with machine guns, devastating the office, and then set the building ablaze before departing for Suzuki's home. Fortunately, Hisatsune Sakomizu, the chief secretary to Suzuki's Cabinet, had warned Suzuki, enabling him to escape just minutes before the assassins arrived. After setting fire to Suzuki's residence, the rebels then proceeded to the estate of Kiichirō Hiranuma, aiming to assassinate him as well. Hiranuma managed to escape through a side gate, but the rebels torched his house too. In the aftermath, Suzuki spent the remainder of August under police protection, sleeping in a different bed each night to avoid detection. Around 03:00, Hatanaka was informed that the Eastern District Army was on its way to the palace to confront him and urged him to surrender. As Hatanaka saw his plan collapse around him, he pleaded with Tatsuhiko Takashima, the Chief of Staff of the Eastern District Army, for airtime on NHK radio to explain his intentions to the Japanese people. His request was denied. Meanwhile, Colonel Haga, commander of the 2nd Regiment of the First Imperial Guards, learned that the Army did not support Hatanaka's rebellion and ordered him to vacate the palace grounds. Just before 05:00, while his rebels continued their search, Major Hatanaka went to the NHK studios, desperately trying to secure airtime to convey his actions. However, slightly over an hour later, after receiving a phone call from the Eastern District Army, Hatanaka finally conceded defeat. He gathered his officers and left the NHK studio, feeling the weight of his failed coup. At dawn, General Tanaka learned that the palace had been invaded, so he went there to confront the rebellious officers. He berated them for acting against the spirit of the Japanese army and ultimately convinced them to return to their barracks. By 08:00 on August 15, the rebellion was entirely dismantled. Although they had held the palace grounds for much of the night, they ultimately failed to find the recordings. After his failed coup, Hatanaka took his own life before witnessing Japan's surrender. While TF-38 refueled on August 14, Halsey signaled McCain, stating, “I intend to strike the same general target area on the fifteenth.” McCain informed TF-38, “Our orders to strike indicate the enemy may have dropped an unacceptable joker into the surrender terms. This war could last many months longer. We cannot afford to relax. Now is the time to pour it on.” In fact, the Western Allies had sunk their last Japanese ships of the war that day, when submarines USS Torsk (SS-423) and USS Spikefish (SS-404) torpedoed I-373 and two small escort ships in the East China Sea, resulting in the death of 112 Japanese sailors. The following morning, August 15, the Third Fleet launched its first strike of 103 aircraft at 04:15 hours. At 06:14, just as the first strike was returning and the second strike was five minutes from the target, Halsey was ordered by Nimitz, “Air attack will be suspended. Acknowledge.” Shortly afterward, an officer burst in, waving a transcript—President Truman's official peace announcement. Halsey erupted with exuberance, “pounding the shoulders of everyone within reach.” He recalled, “My first thought at the great news was, ‘Victory!' My second was, ‘God be thanked, I'll never have to order another man out to die.'” However, within minutes, four retiring Hancock Hellcats were attacked by seven Japanese fighters, resulting in the Hellcats shooting down four without loss. Over Tokorazawa airfield, northwest of Tokyo, 20 IJAAF Ki-84 “Franks” ambushed six VF-88 Hellcats from Yorktown. The Hellcats managed to shoot down nine Franks but lost four of their own, along with their pilots. Rawlings' dawn strikes were intercepted by about 12 Zeros. Escorting Seafires shot down eight Zeros but lost one, while an Avenger downed a ninth Zero. Tragically, seven TF-38 flyers never returned. During the morning, Halsey launched his last strike of the war, but was soon ordered by Admiral Nimitz to suspend all air attacks. At 12:00, the Emperor's recorded speech to the nation, reading the Imperial Rescript on the Termination of the War, was finally broadcast. The war was over… or was it really? I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. As Prime Minister Suzuki and his cabinet debated surrender, the Emperor Hirohito finally accepted the Potsdam Declaration, conditionally ensuring the imperial family's continuity. However, conspirators attempted a coup to prevent the surrender, ultimately failing. By August 15, Japan officially surrendered, marking the end of the Pacific War.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has criticized France, Britain and Canada, which announced they would recognize a Palestinian state. Saar quoted Hamas senior official Razi Hamed, who said that "the initiative by several countries to recognize a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7." Saar wrote on X: "If this is who is applauding you - what does that say about you?" The images of hunger in Gaza and residents killed while trying to obtain food have led to fierce criticism of Israel across the world. KAN's Mark Weiss spoke with veteran Foreign Ministry diplomat Jeremy Issacharoff. (Photo: Reuters)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

外務省、東京都千代田区外務省は２９日、経済局に経済安全保障課を新設するなどの組織改編を８月１日付で行うと発表した。 Japan's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it will implement a large-scale organizational reform Friday, including the establishment of an economic security division under the Economic Affairs Bureau.

Japan's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it will implement a large-scale organizational reform Friday, including the establishment of an economic security division under the Economic Affairs Bureau.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. Yesterday, aircraft from Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan airdropped dozens of pallets of humanitarian aid in the northern and southern Gaza Strip. This morning, Israel says more than 120 truckloads of food aid were distributed by the UN and aid agencies in the Gaza Strip on the first day of a partial pause in fighting. Berman explores how Israel's currently softened position is playing out on the global stage and compares it to previous cycles in which Israel allowed more aid into the Strip. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to press US President Donald Trump on ending “the unspeakable suffering” in Gaza when they meet at the US president’s golf resort in Scotland today, according to a Downing Street spokesperson says. The meeting at Turnberry, southwestern Scotland, comes as European countries express growing alarm at the situation in Gaza. What is Trump currently saying about the war in Gaza? Foreign Ministry director general Eden Bar-Tal summoned France’s deputy ambassador Mikaël Griffon for a reprimand at ministry headquarters in Jerusalem yesterday, over French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement last week that Paris would recognize a Palestinian state. During the dressing down, he accused France of undermining talks for a hostage release deal with Hamas, as well as future negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Berman delves into the idea that all the pressure on Israel to end the war -- and this "prize" of a state to the Palestinian people -- could harm the ceasefire negotiations and drag out the war with an emboldened Hamas. And we ask, is the UK set to follow France's example? And finally, the home of a Chabad rabbi in Dnipro was hit during a deadly Russian missile attack on the central Ukrainian city early Saturday. We learn about the "Shabbat miracle" that saved his family and hear what is happening with the Jewish community in Ukraine as the war marks some 1250 days. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Once again, Israel tried to restrict Gaza aid. Once again, it failed miserably Trump: Israel will ‘have to make decision’ on Gaza war, images of starvation ‘terrible’ Hundreds of rabbis demand Israel stop ‘using starvation as a weapon of war’ Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: An Israeli soldier stands next to a truck at the Kerem Shalom crossing between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip on July 27, 2025. (Carlos REYES / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thailand says the conflict with Cambodia is between the governments and armed forces instead of between the people.

China said on Wednesday that the construction of the Yarlung Zangbo hydropower project falls within its sovereignty and will not have adverse effects on downstream areas.中国周三表示，雅鲁藏布江水电站的建设属于其主权范围内的事务，不会对下游地区造成不良影响。Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun made the remarks after it was reported that India and Bangladesh expressed concerns, fearing damage to biodiversity and livelihoods of local people.外交部发言人郭杰坤在相关报道发布后发表了上述言论。该报道称，印度和孟加拉国对此表示担忧，担心这会对生物多样性以及当地民众的生计造成损害。"The project aims to accelerate the development of clean energy, greatly improve local livelihoods, and actively address climate change," Guo told a daily news briefing.郭在每日新闻发布会上表示：“该项目旨在加快清洁能源的发展，大幅改善当地居民的生活水平，并积极应对气候变化。”"China has always maintained a highly responsible attitude toward transboundary river development and has rich experience in hydropower project development," Guo said.郭表示：“中国一直对跨境河流的开发持有高度负责的态度，并且在水电项目开发方面有着丰富的经验。”He added that the planning, design, and construction of the project strictly adhere to China's highest standards in the sector, avoiding and relocating from several important and sensitive ecological areas to preserve the original ecosystem to the greatest extent.他补充说，该项目的规划、设计和施工均严格遵循了该领域中国最高的标准，避免并避开了几个重要的敏感生态区域，并尽可能地保护了原始生态系统。Guo further noted that the construction of the project is beneficial for disaster prevention and mitigation throughout the entire river basin and will not have adverse effects on downstream areas.郭进一步指出，该项目的建设有利于整个流域的防灾减灾工作，并且不会对下游地区造成不良影响。"China has conducted hydrological reporting, flood control, and disaster reduction cooperation with relevant downstream countries and has also engaged in necessary communication regarding the project," he said, adding that the nation will continue to strengthen cooperation with downstream countries.他表示：“中国已与相关下游国家开展了水文监测、防洪及减灾方面的合作，并就该项目进行了必要的沟通。”他还补充道，中国将继续加强与下游国家的合作。Yarlung Zangbo hydropower projectn.雅鲁藏布江水电站项目/ˈjɑːlʊŋ zæŋˈbəʊˈhaɪdrəʊpaʊə(r)ˈprɒdʒekt/transboundary river developmentn.跨境河流开发/ˌtrænzˈbaʊndəriˈrɪvə(r) dɪˈveləpmənt/

Paul Binsfeld, Honorary Consul of Luxembourg to Arizona and New Mexico, escorted an Arizona delegation to Luxembourg. Paul Binsfeld, Honorary Consul of Luxembourg to Arizona and New Mexico since 2021, reached out to me after listening to the show with Geoff Thompson about the Luxembourg diaspora in America. Paul has been in Luxembourg for over a week now, as part of the 128-strong delegation of Honorary Consuls to Luxembourg from around the world. They were met by Minister Bettel, Prime Minister Frieden, The Chamber of Commerce and Foreign Ministry, and rounded off the day with a reception at Colmar-Berg Castle with Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume. Since then the itinerary has been packed, coupled with meetings for a group of high-level Arizona space and business delegates to  explore new potential partnerships. Brett Mecum is a distinguished government relations professional and space policy expert.  He was appointed by the Arizona Speaker of the House to the Arizona Space Commission in 2024, and was instrumental in passing the Arizona House Bill 2254, and securing $1.5 million for the Space Analog Moon and Mars Mission at Biosphere 2.  Currently, Breet is a 2025 Bertelsmann Foundation Fellow, focusing on the Geopolitics of Space. Elizabeth Christensen is Vice President of Business Development, BlackStar Orbital and is in Luxembourg to form strategic European partnerships to develop new markets for BlackStar's reusable space systems. They view Europe as an important market to work with, and Luxembourg is an obvious hub. The delegation also reflected on the shared values between Luxembourg and Arizona: both regions are shaping the future of defence, commercial space and regulatory frameworks. Luxembourg's model of entrepreneurial diplomacy and strategic openness has created a clear signal to all consuls that Luxembourg is open for business and partnerships. https://play.rtl.lu/shows/en/in-conversation-with-lisa-burke/episodes/n/2312858 https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulbinsfeld/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-christensen-2rd/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettmecum/

Israel bombs Syria, kills 3, wounds dozens "At least three people have been killed and 34 others wounded as Israel launched a wave of air strikes on the Syrian capital. Israel carried out strikes on the General Staff Complex and the Presidential Palace, known as Qasr al-Shaab, in Damascus. The Israeli army confirmed the air strikes and called the attack on the Presidential Palace a “warning strike.” Israeli fighter jets also staged several air strikes on the southwestern province of Daraa and Qatana city in the Damascus countryside." Israel kills scores in Gaza including aid-seeking Palestinians "Israel has killed at least 68 people in Gaza on Wednesday, including several starving Palestinians who suffocated from tear gas while waiting at US-backed, so-called aid sites in the hope of getting some food. The killings took place in Khan Younis, Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza City, Jabalia, Deir al Balah and Netzarim Corridor." "Türkiye slams Israeli strikes on Damascus" Türkiye's Foreign Ministry has condemned recent Israeli air strikes targeting central Damascus, calling them a deliberate attempt to undermine Syria's efforts toward peace, stability, and security. The ministry said the latest attack by Israel on Damascus, following its previous military interventions in southern Syria, constitutes an act of sabotage against Syria's attempts to restore peace and order. Ankara warned that such actions threaten to derail a rare opportunity for the war-torn country to move toward normalisation." Illegal Israeli settlers seize control of historic Ibrahimi Mosque "Israeli authorities have stripped the Palestinian-run Hebron municipality of administrative powers over the Ibrahimi Mosque and transferred them to a council of illegal Jewish settlers. Located in the Old City of Hebron, which is under Israeli occupation, the Ibrahimi Mosque is surrounded by approximately 400 illegal Israeli settlers protected by about 1,500 Israeli soldiers. The mosque complex is believed by Abrahamic religions to hold the remains of Prophet Abraham and his family." Türkiye's Fidan denounces Israel's genocide in Gaza " Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has condemned Israel's genocide in Gaza in strong terms during an address to the United Nations Security Council, saying the war has turned the Palestinian enclave into a ""concentration camp"" and accused Israel of systematically targeting civilians. Fidan said over 2 million people are enduring unspeakable suffering in Gaza. He also cited Israel's forced mass displacement, widespread destruction, and the deliberate blocking of humanitarian aid in the besieged enclave."

島根県竹島、２０２１年９月【ソウル時事】韓国外務省は１５日、日本政府が２０２５年版防衛白書で島根県竹島の領有権を主張したとして「強力に抗議し、即時撤回を求める」とする報道官論評を発表した。 South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday protested Japan's 2025 defense white paper, which asserts Japan's sovereignty over the Sea of Japan islets known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday protested Japan's 2025 defense white paper, which asserts Japan's sovereignty over the Sea of Japan islets known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea.

On June 13th, Israel launched attacks on several military and nuclear facilities in Iran, marking the beginning of a 12-day war between the two countries. The United States followed with targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear sites to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power and posing a threat to regional and global stability. China's involvement in the conflict was limited to condemning the Israeli and US use of military force and calling for de-escalation. Beijing offered only rhetorical support for Tehran. To discuss what the Israel-Iran war reveals about China's relationship with Iran, its evolving strategy in the Middle East, and the broader implications for US-China competition, we are joined by Yun Sun on the podcast today. Yun is a Senior Fellow, co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center. Her recent piece in The Wire China entitled “How China Sees Iran's Future” offers provides a nuanced take on Beijing's calculus during and after the war. Timestamps[00:00] Start[01:34] China's Diplomatic Strategy Toward the Middle East[05:00] A Limited Chinese Response and China's Regional Role[08:19] Chinese Perceptions of Iran's External Strategic Blunders[15:00] Trickling Chinese Investment into Iran[20:10] Chinese Concerns About a Nuclearized Iran[25:09] Implications of the Israel-Iran War for China's Energy Security[32:04] Trump's Response Shaping Chinese Views of the United States 

Katie is joined by Eli Clifton, senior advisor at the Quincy Institute and investigative journalist at large at Responsible Statecraft. Eli talks about what the hell Trump is doing in the Middle East and what Eli learned as one of the last analysts from a US think tank to visit Iran and speak with Foreign Ministry officials nuclear negotiators. But first, Katie talks to Palestinian Youth Movement organizer Aisha Nizar about the Mask Off Maersk campaign's latest victory and to Ash Bohrer a leader of JVP Chicago and assistant Professor of Gender and Peace Studies at University of Notre Dame talks about why they're on a hunger strike. **Please support The Katie Halper Show ** For bonus content, exclusive interviews, to support independent media & to help make this program possible, please join us on Patreon - / thekatiehalpershow Get your Katie Halper Show Merch here! https://katiehalper.myspreadshop.com/all Follow Katie on Twitter: https://x.com/kthalps Follow Katie on Instagram / kthalps

首相官邸、東京都千代田区日本政府は防衛装備品などを同志国に無償で供与する政府安全保障能力強化支援の２０２５年度の対象国として、タイやフィリピンなど８カ国を選定する方針を固めた。 The Japanese government plans to provide eight countries with free defense equipment in fiscal 2025 under its official security assistance program, Foreign Ministry sources said Friday.

For review:1.  In a video statement on Tuesday summing up the war against Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel “achieved a historic victory” that would “abide for generations."“Now, the focus returns to Gaza, to bringing the hostages home and toppling Hamas rule,” he added. 2. IDF: Iran's Nuclear Program Set Back Years.  Israel Defense Forces spokesman Brigadier General Effi Defrin said Wednesday:  "I can say here that the assessment is that we significantly damaged the nuclear program, and I can also say that we set it back by years, I repeat, years.” 3. Iran Foreign Ministry: Nuclear Facilities "Badly Damaged."  Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei on Wednesday conceded the Sunday strikes by American B-2 bombers using bunker-buster bombs had been significant. 4.  Iran has, over the last 12 days, arrested more than 700 people accused of ties with Israel, state-linked media reported Wednesday.5.  The United States and Qatar said Wednesday that the ceasefire in Iran has created an opportunity to advance truce-hostage talks they are mediating between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. 6. NATO Agrees to Boost Spending to 5% GDP.  The 5%  GDP figure is a bit of a workaround, with 3.5% for core defense tasks and an additional 1.5% on measures that support defense and security- such as cyber defense. 7.  The United Kingdom announced today it will buy “at least” 12 F-35As and will use the jets to “join NATO's dual capable nuclear mission” in what it called a “major boost” for the alliance's security. 

Uranium stockpile untouched after US strikes on nuclear sites: Iran "A senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has said that the country's enriched uranium stockpile remains intact despite recent US air strikes on nuclear sites. Ali Shamkhani, a key figure in Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the attacks failed to damage Iran's nuclear capabilities. “Even if nuclear sites are destroyed, the game isn't over. Enriched materials, indigenous knowledge, and political will remain,” he wrote on X." Trump seeks 'peace' deal with Tehran after Iran strikes: report "US President Donald Trump reportedly has no plans to continue military strikes against Iran and is instead pursuing a peace agreement, Axios reported, citing an unnamed American official. Trump informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the outcome following strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and expressed his preference for diplomacy. An Israeli official confirmed Washington's stance, saying, “the Americans made it clear to us they want to close this round,” according to the report." Israel continues to kill Palestinions in Gaza "Israeli forces have killed at least 31 more Palestinians and wounded dozens in Gaza, according to local medics. While global attention is focused on the Israel-Iran conflict, Tel Aviv continues its deadly war in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israel is also quietly intensifying its occupation of the West Bank." Türkiye, UN condemn deadly church attack in Damascus, call for unity against terrorism "Türkiye and the UN have condemned a deadly suicide bombing at Mar Elias Church in Damascus that killed at least 20 and wounded 52, calling for unity against terrorism. UN envoy Geir Pedersen urged a full investigation into the Daesh-claimed attack, which targeted worshippers during mass. Türkiye's Foreign Ministry denounced the assault as an attempt to destabilise Syria and disrupt social cohesion." Oil prices surge after Tehran mulls shutting Strait of Hormuz "Oil prices surge after US air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites raised fears of broader conflict and energy disruption. Brent crude and US West Texas Intermediate jumped over 4%, as tensions mount over the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil corridor. Iran's parliament has approved closing the strait in response to US and Israeli attacks on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan."

Since Israel launched Operation Rising Lion—a precise and defensive military campaign aimed at preventing the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons—Iran has responded with a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones, indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians. Dr. Matthew Levitt, director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and a leading expert on Iran's global terror network, explains what's at stake—and what could come next. Take Action: We must stop a regime that vows to murder millions of Israelis from gaining the weapons to do it. Urge your elected leaders to assure that Israel has all the necessary support to end Iran's nuclear threat. Resources and Analysis: Iranian Regime vs. Israel War Explained: What You Should Know AJC Advocacy Anywhere: Israel and Iran: Latest Updates, Global Responses, and the Path Ahead 5 Key Reasons Behind Israel's Defensive Strike on Iran's Imminent Nuclear Threat Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod: Latest Episodes: Why Israel Had No Choice: Inside the Defensive Strike That Shook Iran's Nuclear Program What Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks' State of the Jewish World Teaches Us Today Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Israel's shadow war with the Iranian regime, the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, erupted into open conflict last week following a stunning report from the International Atomic Energy Agency that confirmed Iran was much closer to obtaining nuclear weapons than previously known. Since Israel launched a wave of attacks on nuclear sites and facilities, Iran has fired missiles toward Israel's most populated cities. Joining us to discuss what this all means is one of the foremost experts on Iran and its global threats, and a regular guest when trouble arises with Iran. Dr. Matthew Levitt, director of the Reinhard Counterterrorism Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.  Matt, welcome back to People of the Pod. Matthew Levitt:   It's a pleasure to be back, but I need to come sometime when the world's okay.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   That would be nice. That'd be nice. But what will we talk about? Matthew Levitt:   Yeah, just call me one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, you are one of the foremost experts on the dangers posed by Iran, especially its terror proxies. And you've written the definitive book on Hezbollah, titled Hezbollah: the Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God. And I say that whole title, I want to get in there, because we are talking about global threats here.  Can you explain the scale of Iran's global threat and the critical role that its terror proxies, like Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, play in advancing that strategy? Matthew Levitt:   So I really appreciate the question, because it's really important to remind listeners that the Israel Iran war did not start Thursday night US time, Friday morning, Israel time. In fact, it's just the latest salvo where the Israelis, after years and years and years of Iranian we call it malign activity, but that's too soft a term. We're talking about Iran sending weapons and funds to proxies like Hamas to carry out October 7, like Hezbollah to fire rockets at Israel almost daily for almost a year. Like the Houthis, who were much more than a thorn in the Saudi backside until the Iranians came and gave them more sophisticated capabilities.  We're talking about an Iran that a few years ago decided that instead of making sure that every gun that it sent to the West Bank had to go to Hamas or Islamic Jihad. They decided to just flood the West Bank with guns. Who cares who's shooting at the Israelis so long as somebody is. And an Iran that not only carries out human rights abuses of all kinds at home, but that threatens Israel and its neighbors with drones, low altitude cruise missiles, short range ballistic missiles, and medium and long range ballistic missiles.  And so the totality of this, much like the totality of Hezbollah's striking Israel for almost a year, ultimately led Israel to do what most people thought couldn't be done, and just tear Hezbollah apart, that the Israel war on Hezbollah is the prequel to what we've been seeing over the past few days in Iran. Similarly, for the Israelis, it got to be too much. It wasn't even really that President Trump's 60 days expired and Israel attacked on day 61. It wasn't only that the IAEA came out with a report saying that the Iranians have refused to explain certain activities that can only be explained as nuclear weaponization activities.  It was that the Israelis had information that two things were happening. One, that Iran was working very, very hard to rebuild its capability to manufacture medium, long range ballistic missiles that can hit Israel. After the Israeli reprisal attack last October took out a key component of that program, the mixers that are important for the solid propellant, without which you can't make ballistic missiles. And Iran is believed to have, at least the beginning of this recent round of the conflict –Thursday, Friday–about 2000 such missiles. Far fewer now, the Israelis say they've taken out about a third of them, plus launchers, plus radars, et cetera. But that Iran had a plan within just a few years to develop as many as 8000 of these. And that simply was not tolerable for the Israelis.  And the second is that the Israelis say that they compiled evidence that Iran had a secret, secret nuclear weapons program that had been going on predating October 7, but was fast tracked after October 7, that they were planning to maintain this program, even as they were negotiating over the more overt program with the Trump administration. President Trump has even taken issue with his own Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who testified in March that the US intelligence committee does not assess that Iran is weaponizing. And President says, I don't care what she says, I think they were very close to weaponizing.  The Israelis say they have shared this information at least recently with their US counterparts and that was not tolerable. So the primary goals that Israel has set out for itself with this campaign is beyond the critically important shattering the glass ceiling. Think where people in particular, in Iran thought this would never happen, was two things, one, addressing and significantly degrading and setting back the Iranian ballistic missile production program, and second, doing the same to the nuclear program. They've already carried out strikes at Isfahan, Natanz, even at the upper parts of Fordow. And there is an expectation that the Israelis are going to do something more. The Israeli national security advisor said on Israeli television today, We are not going to stop without addressing the nuclear activities at Fordow. Manya Brachear Pashman:   You know, you called it a prequel, Israel's operations against Hezbollah last year. Did you know that it was a prequel at the time and to what extent did it weaken Iran and leave it more vulnerable in this particular war? Matthew Levitt:   I'm going to be the last person in Washington, D.C. who tells you when he doesn't know. And anybody who tells you they did know is lying to you. None of us saw what Israel did to Hezbollah coming. None of us saw that and said, Oh, they did it to a non-state actor right across their border. So they'll definitely be able to do it to Iran, 1000+ kilometers away, big nation state with massive arsenals and a nuclear program and lots of proxies. One plus one does not equal three in this.  In other words, the fact that Israel developed mind boggling capabilities and incredible intelligence, dominance and then special tools, pagers and walkie talkies, in the case of Hezbollah, did not mean that they were going to be able to do the same vis a vis Iran. And they did. The same type of intelligence dominance, the same type of intelligence, knowing where somebody was at a certain time, that the protocols would be that certain leaders would get in a certain secret bunker once hostilities started, and they'd be able to take them out in that bunker. As they did to a bunch of senior Hezbollah commanders just months ago. Drone operations from within Iran, Iran being hit with missiles that were fired at Iran from within Iran, all of it. One case did not necessarily translate into the other. It is exponentially impressive. And Israel's enemies have to be saying, you know, that the Israelis are just all capable. Now you're absolutely right. You hit the nail on the head on one critical issue. For a very long time, Israel was at least somewhat deterred, I would say very deterred, from targeting Iran. Because Iran had made very, very clear if Israel or the United States or anybody else targeted Iran or its nuclear program, one of the first things that would happen would be that Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel, Iran's first, most important proxy would rain hellfire in Israel in the form of 1000s upon 1000s of rockets. Until Israel addressed the problem, Hezbollah is believed to have had 150 to 200,000 different types of projectiles, up to and including precision guided munitions.  Not only have the overwhelming majority of those been destroyed, Hezbollah still has 1000s of rockets, but Hezbollah leadership has been decimated. There's a new sheriff in town in Lebanon. There's a new government that immediately, when hostility started with Iran's, went to Hezbollah and said, You're not doing this, not dragging Lebanon back into a war that nobody wanted again. We are finally coming out of this economic crisis. And so Iran was faced with a situation where it didn't have Hezbollah to deter Israel.  Israel, you know, paved the way for a highway in the air to Iran, taking out air defense systems. It was able to fly over and through Syria. The Syrians are not shedding any tears as they see the Quds Force and the IRGC getting beaten down after what Iran did in Syria. And the Israelis have air dominance now. President Trump said, We, using the we term, air dominance now, earlier today. And they're able to slowly and methodically continue to target the ballistic missile program. Primarily, the medium and long range missiles that target Israel, but sometimes it's the same production lines that produce the short range missiles that Iran uses to target U.S. Forces in the region, and our allies in the Gulf. So Israel is not just protecting itself, it's protecting the region. And then also taking out key military security intelligence personnel, sometimes taking out one person, then a couple days later, taking out the person who succeeded that person, and then also taking out key scientists who had the know-how to potentially rebuild all the things that Israel is now destroying. Manya Brachear Pashman:   But Israel is also not hearing from the Houthis, is not hearing from Hamas. It's not hearing from other terror proxies either. Very few attacks from Iran's terror proxies in the aftermath of this wave. Why? Why do you think that is? Matthew Levitt:   The crickets are loud. The crickets are loud. Look, we've discussed Hezbollah. Hezbollah understands that if it were to do something, the Israelis will come in even harder and destroy what's left. Hamas is still holding hostages. This is still an open wound, but it doesn't have the capabilities that it once had, and so there have been a couple of short range things that they tried to shoot, but it's not anything that's going to do huge damage, and the Israeli systems can deal with those.  The Houthis did fire something, and it hurt some Palestinians near Hebron. You know, the Houthis and the Iranians in particular, in this conflict have killed Palestinians, and in one case, Syrians. They're continuing to hurt people that are not Israelis. One of the things that I think people are hopeful for is that as Iran tries to sue for peace, and it already is, it's been reaching out to Cyprus to pass messages, etcetera. The hope is that Iran will recognize that it's in a position whereby A) there has to be zero enrichment and the facilities have to be destroyed, whatever's left of them. And B) there's a hope that Israel and the United States together will be able to use this diplomatic moment to truly end the conflict in Gaza and get the hostages home. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, that was what I was going to ask. I mean, if Israel achieves its objectives in this war, primarily eliminating Iran's nuclear threat, how significant a setback would that be for Hamas and Iran's other terror proxies, and could it indeed pave the way for an end of the war in Gaza and the return of the hostages? Matthew Levitt:   Like everybody else, I'm so scarred, I don't want to get my hopes up, but I do see this as a distinct possibility, and here's why. Not Hezbollah, not the Houthis, not Hamas, none of them, and plenty of other proxies that don't start in the letter H, none of them could have been anywhere as capable as they've proven to be, were it not for Iranian money and weapons. Also some training, some intelligence, but primarily money and weapons.  And so Hamas is already on its back foot in this regard. It can still get some money in. It's still being able to make money off of humanitarian aid. Iran is still sending money in through money exchange houses and hawaladars, but not weapons. Their ability to manufacture weapons, their military industrial complex within Gaza, this is destroyed. Hezbollah, we've discussed, discussed, and a lot of their capabilities have been destroyed. And those that remain are largely deterred. The Houthis did shoot up some rockets, and the Israelis did carry out one significant retaliatory attack. But I think people are beginning to see the writing on the wall. The Israelis are kicking the stuffing out of Iran with pinprick attacks that are targeting the worst of the bad guys, including people who have carried out some of the worst human rights transgressions against Iranians. Let's not pretend that this is not affecting the average Iranian. It is. The president says, Everybody get out of Tehran. That's just not possible. People, average Iranians, good people. It must be just an absolute terror.  But Israel's not bombing, you know, apartment buildings, as Iran is doing in Israel, or as Russia is doing in Ukraine. And so it really is a different type of thing. And when the Houthis, when Hamas, when Hezbollah, look at this, you don't you don't poke the tiger when it's angry. I think they also understand now's the time to get into survival mode. What you want is for the regime in Iran not to be destroyed. This is no longer a moment, as it's been since long before October 7, but certainly since then, of how Iran as proxies, export Iran's revolution. This is now a question of how they maintain and preserve the revolution at home. And it's extremely important to the proxies that Iran remain, so that even if it's knocked down over time, hopefully, theoretically, from their perspective, it can regain its footing. It will still have, they hope, its oil and gas, etcetera, and they will get back to a point where they can continue to fund and arm the proxies in. Maybe even prioritize them as it takes them longer to rebuild their ballistic missile, drone, and nuclear programs. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Which is a scary prospect as well to know that terror proxies could be spread throughout the world and empowered even a little bit more. President Trump left the G7 summit a day early to meet with security advisors, and just a few hours ago, prior to this interview, President Trump called for Iran's, quote, unconditional surrender, saying that the US knows where the Supreme Leader is, and some other threatening language. But I mean, this appears to be a kind of a clear commitment to Israel. So I'm curious how you assess his administration's actions before and during the war thus far, and do you see the United States edging toward direct involvement? Matthew Levitt:   All politics is local, and there is a tug of war within the MAGA movement over whether or not the US should be getting involved. Not only in supporting an important ally, but in removing a critical threat. The President is clearly frustrated that Iran was not being more forthcoming in the negotiations. He said many times, we'd offered you a great deal, you should have taken the deal. He's very aware that his deadline ended, and they didn't particularly seem to care. There's also the background that once upon a time, they tried to assassinate him, I think, after the Israelis did what they did, the President appreciates capabilities. He appreciates success. He likes backing the winning horse. And so the New York Times is reporting that after getting off the phone with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump reportedly turned to some aides and said, maybe we need to help him. Now it's not clear that's what's going to happen, and my understanding is that the Israelis have plans of their own for things like the heavily fortified facility at Fordow, which is the most important and highly fortified, protected of the nuclear installations. The Israeli National Security Advisor spoke today and said, you know, we're not going to be done until we do something with Fordow.  The United States can do multiple things only the United States has the MOP: the Massive Ordinance Penetrator, and the airplanes to deliver it, and they could end Fordow if they wanted. Short of that, they could do other things to support Israel. There's been defensive support for the State of Israel already, but there's other things they could do, refueling and other things if they wanted to. And at a minimum, I don't see the president restraining Israel at all. Now, I've heard some people say that so far, the President has fired nothing more than some social media postings, some of them even in all caps.  But the truth is, those do have an effect, and so long as Israel is not restrained. I think the Israelis went into this with a plan. That plan is not necessarily to entirely destroy the entire nuclear program, but if the ballistic missile program and the nuclear program are sufficiently degraded so that it will take them years and a tremendous amount of time and money to rebuild, knowing that Israel has broken the glass ceiling on this idea of targeting Iran, that if the Israelis feel they need to, they will come back. If the Iranians rebuild their air defense systems, the Israelis will address them and create a new highway going if they need to. I think the Israelis are making that clear. Knowing that it's going to be a little bit of a road for Iran, especially when it will have to deal with some domestic issues coming out of this.  Finally, the Israelis have started signaling there's other things they could do. The Israelis have not yet fully targeted oil and gas fields and facilities. For example, they had one set of attacks where they basically knocked at the front door of some of these facilities without walking in the house. That's signaling, and I think it's one of the reasons you're seeing Iran quietly trying to reach out for some type of a ceasefire. Other signaling, for example, is the Israelis deciding to fly all the way to Mashhad, which is in far eastern Iran, to take out an airplane. That airplane was not particularly important. It was the message. There is nowhere in Iran we can't go. It's not a question of distance, it's not a question of refueling, it's not a question of air defense systems. We can do what we need to do. And I think the Iranians understand that now. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So we talked about the commitment to Israel, and how clear, how important it is to clarify that commitment to Israel. How important is it to clarify the United States commitment to Arab partners in the Middle East to help defend them in other words, if this conflict escalates? Matthew Levitt:   This is critically important. You know, one of the individuals who was taken out, for example, was the person who was in charge of the drone attack on the Abqaiq oil facility in Saudi Arabia. If you look, for example, at the Saudi statement condemning the Israeli actions, it was issued by the Foreign Ministry without a single name attached to it. Wasn't issued by the Crown Prince, wasn't issued by the foreign minister. So I think you should expect a whole lot of public criticism. I imagine there's a different conversation going on behind closed doors. It's not necessarily, you know, pom-poming. This makes the Gulf states very, very nervous, in part because they understand that one way Iran could try and get out of this is to expand the conflict.  And that the reason they haven't is because, short of trying to prevent Iranians from taking to the streets and potentially doing something to maybe overthrow the regime, short of that, the number one thing that the Iranian regime is most desperate to avoid is getting the United States involved militarily. And I think the Iranians really understand and the messaging's been clear. If you target US Forces in the region, if you target our allies in the region, we'll get involved. If you don't, then we might not.  Now the President now is talking about potentially doing that, and as a lot of maybe this, maybe that, nothing very clear. I think what is clear is that the Israelis are going to continue doing what they need to do for another one to two weeks. Even going so far as doing something, though they haven't made clear what to address the really complicated problem of the fortified facility at Fordow. Manya Brachear Pashman:   So how important is it for global security if Israel is successful in eliminating the nuclear threat in Iran? Matthew Levitt:   Look, Iran has been the single most destabilizing factor in the region for a long time now. Imagine a region without a destabilizing revolutionary regime in Iran without a regime that is supporting Shia militants in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.  Imagine the Shia militias in Iraq suddenly without a funder and a patron, enabling the Shia government in Iraq to actually be able to take control of the country and establish a monopoly over the use of force. At a time when the Shia militias, because of Iran's backing, are becoming more dangerous and more powerful in Iraq.  Imagine the Lebanese government being able to be more forward leaning in their effort to establish a monopoly over the use of force in that country, reclaim bases that Hezbollah has used for all this time, and establish a new Lebanon that is not beholden to Iran and Hezbollah.  And imagine an Israeli-Palestinian situation where you didn't have Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad as spoilers. Recall that October 7 happened in large part because Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran could not tolerate the prospect of Israeli-Saudi normalization. For most Palestinians, this was great news. The Saudis were demanding real dividends for the Palestinians from the Netanyahu government, which was likely going to do them. This was great for Palestinians, bad for Hamas.  Imagine Hamas no longer getting that support from Iran. Imagine Iran no longer able to send or being interested in sending millions upon millions of dollars to its proxies, and instead spending what money it has on helping its population, instead of cracking down on it with human rights violations. You could have a very, very different region, let alone imagine Iran no longer carrying out acts of terrorism, kidnapping plots, abduction plots of dissidents and Jews and Israelis and others around the world of the type that we've seen throughout Europe and throughout the Middle East and even in the United States over the past few years. Manya Brachear Pashman:   That's quite an imagination you have. But I take your point. Let me ask you this then. Did you ever imagine that Israel would take this dramatic step?  Matthew Levitt:   What the Israelis have achieved, when you are so against the wall and you're forced to come up with solutions, because it's a matter of life or death – you make the impossible possible. And I think that perhaps the Iranians assumed that the Israeli post-October 7 doctrine applied to non-state actors only. And that doctrine is very simple. Israel will no longer allow adversaries who are openly committed to its destruction to build up weapons, arsenals that they can then use at some point to actually try and destroy Israel. They will not allow that to happen.  They allowed it to happen with Hamas. It was a mistake. They allowed it to happen with Hezbollah. It was a mistake that they corrected. And Iran is the biggest, arguably, really, the only existential threat as huge, as a tasking as that was, clearly they invested in doing it. And the question became, not, why can't it be done? What is it that has to be overcome? And I don't think sitting here with you right now, you know, what is it, 3:30 on Tuesday, the 17th, that we've seen the last of the tricks up Israel's sleeve.  Manya Brachear Pashman:   I only have one last question for you, and that is about the United States. The importance of the United States getting directly involved. I mean, we've talked about previously undisclosed nuclear sites, and who knows how many there could be. We're talking about more than what, 600,000 square miles of Iran. If the goal is a non nuclear Iran, can Israel finish this war without the United States, or does it even matter? I mean, is this just a step to force Iran back to the negotiating table with virtually zero leverage? Matthew Levitt:   So look, I don't think the goal here is completely destroying the Iranian nuclear program, or even completely destroying the Iranian ballistic missile program. The goal is to so degrade it that it is set back many, many years, and break that ceiling. People now understand if Israelis need to come back, they're coming back. I think they would like to do as much damage to these destructive programs as possible, of course, and I don't think we've seen the end of it. I think there are more tricks up Israel's sleeve when it comes to some of these complicated problems.  Judged by this yardstick, by the way, the Israeli operation is a tremendous success, tremendous success, even though there have been some significant casualties back in Israel, and even though this has caused tremendous trauma for innocent Iranians who have no love for the regime. This is a situation that the Iranian regime has brought down on all of us.  I do think that the Israelis have made very, very clear that this doesn't end until something is done to further disrupt and dismantle Fordow, which is the most important and the most heavily fortified, underground, under a mountain facility. It's not clear what the Israelis have in mind. It seems they have something in mind of their own. It's clear they would love for the United States to get involved, because the United States could do real damage to that facility and potentially end the Iranian nuclear program. But at the end of the day, if it can't be completely destroyed, I anticipate it's going to be damaged enough to significantly set it back. This phase of the Israel-Iran war, which didn't start last week, is not about pushing them back a week or a month or two months. Manya Brachear Pashman:   Well, Matt, thank you so much for your wise counsel and perspective on this matter, and yes, hopefully we can have you back another time to talk about peace and love and things that have nothing to do with war and conflict with Iran or its terror proxies. Matthew Levitt:   I would really look forward to prepping for that interview. In the meantime, I want to thank AJC for all the important work it does, and thank you guys for having me on the podcast. Manya Brachear Pashman:   If you missed last week's episodes, be sure to tune in for our crossover episode with Books and Beyond: The Rabbi Sacks Podcast, a podcast of the Rabbi Sacks Legacy, and my conversation with AJC's Jerusalem Director Avital Liebovich. During a special breaking news episode the day after Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, the latest in Israel's ongoing war of self-defense against the Iranian regime.  

For review:1.  The UN conference hosted by France and Saudi Arabia to work toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians has been postponed French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday.  France and Saudi Arabia had been set to host the gathering between June 17-20 in New York. 2. Israel smuggled attack drones into Iran using a variety of means, including trucks, shipping containers, and even suitcases, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with the Mossad operation.3.  Israeli PM & President Visit Site of Deadly Missile Strike in Bat Yam.4.  IDF Warns Citizens of Tehran to Evacuate. Widespread Israeli Air Force strikes were reported in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Sunday afternoon, hours after the IDF issued an unprecedented evacuation warning for Iranian civilians to evacuate areas around weapons factories. 5.  Some Iranians began to flee the capital, Tehran, on Sunday as Israeli airstrikes continued to target military infrastructure and nuclear facilities across the Islamic Republic for a third day. 6.  IDF Strikes Oil Refineries, Fuel Depots, and Gas Fields.7.  Iran has asked Cyprus to convey “some messages” to Israel, the President President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday. However, Iran swiftly denied the claim, with its Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei saying Iran did not send any message to Israel via a third country. 8.  US President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a 50-minute phone call Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East, the White House and Kremlin confirmed. 

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 112-points this morning from Friday's close, at 21,773 on turnover of 6.3-billion N-T. The market closed slightly lower Friday - after retreating from earlier gains as investors remained cautious ahead of the release of U-S jobs data. The bellwether electronics sector remained sluggish throughout the session despite some late buying, while select non-tech stocks, particularly in the financial and petrochemical sectors, drew interest and lent support to the broader market. French National Assembly delegation visits Taiwan A delegation of members of the French National Assembly has arrived in Taiwan for a six-day visit. The delegation is being led Marie-Noelle Battistel, the president of the Assembly's Taiwan-France Friendship Group. Battistel is visiting at the invitation of the Lai administration and is being accompanied by four other deputies in the lower house of the French Parliament. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delegation is slated to hold talks with President Lai Ching-te and other senior government officials in Taipei aimed at enhancing (增強) bilateral relations. They will also meet with Minister without Portfolio Lin Ming-hsin and Economics Minister Kuo Jyh-huei. 'Time 100' recipient gets honorary doctorate from Taitung university Philanthropist Chen Shu-chu has been presented with an honorary doctorate degree by National Taitung University for her humanitarian contributions (貢獻). Chen was a vegetable vendor at Central Market in Taitung City for over half a century before she retired in 2018. She gained fame here in Taiwan when she was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people of 2010 for her philanthropy. Chen received her degree with the National Taitung University alumni at a graduation ceremony held at the university's Chihpen Campus for her contributions to society. She was introduced at the event by Taitung County Deputy Magistrate Wang Chih-hui - who cited her as an example of human love transcending (超越) technological advancement. Israel Reports Thunberg Vessel Diverted to Israel Israel's Foreign Ministry says a Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg and other activists has been diverted (改變方向) to Israel. In a post on X, it said the boat “is safely making its way to the shores of Israel.” The passengers “are expected to return to their home countries,” it added, without providing further details. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organized the voyage to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and protest Israel's blockade of the territory, said the activists had been “kidnapped by Israeli forces.” Colombia Presidential Hopeful Shot and Wounded A Colombian senator and would-be presidential candidate is shot and wounded (受傷) at a rally. AP correspondent Julie Walker reports France World Oceans Day Dozens of research and exploration vessels have set sail off the French coastal city of Nice across across the Bay of Angels. The event on Sunday marked World Oceans Day and the opening of the third U.N. Ocean Conference. It aimed to showcase the beauty of the ocean and the growing urgency to protect it. Thousands of delegates, including heads of state, scientists, and environmental advocates, are expected in Nice this week to confront growing threats to the ocean, and the need to transform pledges (承諾) into protection. The conference is expected to bring the High Seas Treaty closer to ratification, allowing countries to establish marine protected areas in international waters, which cover nearly two-thirds of the ocean and remain largely ungoverned. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _____. －－－－以下訊息由 SoundOn 動態廣告贊助商提供－－－－ 打造綠能與AI科技的示範驗證場域，串聯嘉義、南科、高雄及屏東等園區，大南方智慧轉型的關鍵樞紐，歡迎一同探索沙崙智慧綠能科學城，共創智慧未來！ 參訪進駐資訊請至 https://sofm.pse.is/7qmrvq 網站查詢 經濟部能源署/臺南市政府經濟發展局(廣告) -- NISSAN為提升車主夏季駕乘感受，限時推出X-TRAIL、KICKS及SENTRA「涼夏特仕版」限量各200台，雙前座升級通風座椅，提供涼爽舒適的駕駛體驗。 本月入主NISSAN任一車款再贈Dyson時尚吹風機組，及零利率方案，讓消費者輕鬆入主、無壓升級NISSAN車款。 https://sofm.pse.is/7qk7ag -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Beijing has urged Washington to protect the interests of international students amid reports that the United States government has halted the scheduling of new interviews for student visa applicants.针对美国政府暂停安排学生签证申请人新面签的报道，北京已敦促华盛顿方面切实保障国际学生权益。"China believes that education cooperation and academic exchanges should not be disrupted," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday.外交部发言人毛宁周三表示：“中方认为教育合作与学术交流不应受到干扰。”Mao made the remark after foreign media reported that the US government is considering requiring all foreign students applying to study in the US to undergo social media vetting, and in preparation for the vetting, is ordering US embassies and consular sections to pause scheduling new interviews for such visa applicants.此前，外媒报道称，美国政府正考虑要求所有赴美留学的外国学生接受社交媒体的审查，并为此暂停美国使领馆对该类签证申请人新的签证面谈。The spokeswoman said that China is following the current development, which comes days after the US government revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students. The revocation has been temporarily blocked by a court restraining order.毛宁指出，中方正密切关注事态发展。此前数日，美国政府刚取消哈佛大学招收国际学生的资格，该决定现已被法院限制令临时叫停。"We urge the US to protect the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of all international students, including those from China," Mao added.她强调：“我们敦促美方切实保障包括中国留学生在内的所有国际学生的合法权益。”In an interview with China Media Group on Wednesday, a staff member of the US embassy in Beijing said the embassy has not received relevant information, and visa applications and interviews are proceeding as usual.在周三接受中国环球电视网采访时，美国驻华大使馆工作人员表示未收到相关信息，签证申请及面签程序均正常进行。A 20-year-old Chinese student, who is majoring in computer science at a US university, said the reported measure will not affect his studies in the US, because he already has a long-term student visa.一位就读于美国大学计算机专业的20岁中国留学生表示，该政策不会影响其学业，因其已持有长期学生签证。However, those currently applying for majors at US universities may feel anxious about the move, he said, adding that the US is not as welcoming for international students as it used to be.但他指出，当前正在申请美国院校的学生可能因此焦虑，并坦言“美国对国际学生的欢迎程度已不如往昔”。According to a report released on Friday by New Oriental Education and Technology Group, an education company in China, the US has been the second most popular country for Chinese students who intend to study abroad for six years in a row.据中国的教育公司，新东方教育科技集团上周五发布的报告显示，美国已连续六年位居中国留学生意向目的地第二位。However, the US government has stepped up its crackdown on international students this year, including by abruptly terminating their legal status.然而今年以来，美政府持续加大对国际学生的限制力度，包括突然终止其合法身份等举措。halt/hɔ:lt/v.使停止;停止，终止vet/vet/v.审查;仔细检查legitimate rights合法权利embassy/ˈembəsi/n.大使馆；使馆官员crackdown/ˈkrækdaʊn/v.打击；镇压

The newborn son of Tzeela Gez, an Israeli woman killed in a West Bank terror shooting, has died; Israel's Foreign Ministry held a memorial ceremony in Jerusalem for Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, two Israeli embassy employees who were heinously killed in a shooting attack in Washington, DC.;The IDF struck Sana'a International Airport in Yemen on Wednesday morning and destroyed the last operational aircraft belonging to the Houthi rebels, Israel's Defense Minister confirmed; Police arrested a 41 year old Eritrean national for robbing and murdering a 71-year-old man here in Tel Aviv. An explosive device planted by terrorists detonated during combat in southern Gaza on Wednesday, killing 20-year-old IDF Sergeant Danilo Mocanu from Holon; A stunning Byzantine-era mosaic, originally discovered in 1990 near Be'er Shema in the western Negev, is now on public display after an extensive restoration.Click that you heard about Hasod (gift boxes) from “a podcast” when you check out. https://www.hasodstore.com/shopsmallIsrael Daily News website: https://israeldailynews.orgIsrael Daily News Roundtable: https://www.patreon.com/shannafuldSupport our Wartime News Coverage: https://www.gofundme.com/f/independent-journalist-covering-israels-warLinks to all things IDN:⁠ https://linktr.ee/israeldailynews⁠Music: Tik Tak; Erika Krall & Lian Gold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGqtwBjb-R8

Beijing has expressed stern opposition after Washington said it would start "aggressively" revoking visas of Chinese students. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson says this act betrays America's long-proclaimed freedom and openness and will damage its own international image and credibility.

Last-ditch efforts for Gaza ceasefire underway "Egypt, Qatar and the US have come together to present Hamas with a revised ceasefire proposal, originally drafted by Washington's Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. Sources familiar with the talks say this is being described as the last chance to make a deal. The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has been given 48 hours to respond." Israel plans to seize 75% of Gaza "Israel is said to be accelerating its military offensive, aiming to seize control of about seventy-five percent of the territory within the next two months. That means nearly two million Palestinians would be forced into just a quarter of Gaza. A recent high-level briefing reportedly laid out these plans. By July, Israeli forces would occupy around two hundred and seventy five square kilometres of the coastal enclave—out of Gaza's total three hundred and sixty five. The Palestinian population would be confined to three areas: Gaza City in the north, central Gaza's refugee camps, and the Masawi area down south." US Golden Dome project is 'nuclear war scenario': North Korea "North Korea is slamming the United States over its new Golden Dome missile defence project, calling it a dangerous step toward nuclear war. President Trump announced the programme, worth one hundred and seventy five billion dollars, on May 20th, saying a design had been chosen and a lead appointed to manage the effort. In a statement released by state media, North Korea's Foreign Ministry accused Washington of arrogance and high-handedness. Officials there described the project as part of a ""space-based nuclear war scenario"" and said it perfectly reflects the ""America First"" mindset." US urges Israel to 'stay united' on Iran "The US is urging Israel to remain unified as talks continue with Iran over its nuclear programme. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she had a direct and honest conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the ongoing negotiations. According to her, President Trump specifically asked her to deliver the message in person, stressing the need for unity while discussions play out." Anti-Muslim lawmaker Wilders unveils 10-point migration crackdown plan "Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders is once again stirring controversy with a new ten-point plan aimed at slashing immigration. He's also putting pressure on the ruling coalition, warning he might pull his support if his demands aren't met. The plan includes some hardline measures like deploying the army to secure land borders and turning away all asylum-seekers at the point of entry. He also wants a temporary freeze on family reunification for accepted refugees."

Let's go to the PHD Weight Loss Talk Line with doctor Steve who's heading up to Boiling Springs. How are you doing, bud? I'm I'm doing well. And yourself? I'm doing great. What's going on? Great. I just don't know if you've heard, but the the strength of Trump's, tariffs, even the pope is American made. I see. I see. There you go. I mean, it's working, isn't it? Globally, Trump's Trump's tariffs are working. And another quick thing about Belichick Yeah. If he marries that girl if he marries that girl, are the young unsung to call her nana or granny? Yeah. Right? I don't know. My gosh. It's gonna be awful. Thank you so much, buddy. You be careful out there. Yep. Even even the pope is American made. That's how well Trump's, tariffs are working. Now what you're not hearing from the mainstream media is exactly that, how well Trump's tariffs are working. Already signed that huge great deal. It was a huge deal. It's the best deal we've ever done with The UK. Nobody else could do it but me. Only I could do and he's right. Only he could do that. Because these even as they pointed out over on CNN last night, The United States has has been trying to come up with some sort of a trade deal with The UK for a long time. Now remember, they lost a lot of their trading status when they went through Brexit, and they broke away from the European Union. So they lost a little bit there, but now this this benefits them. It benefits us. Everybody's a winner. But who is about to come to the table? Well, China. China's getting ready. So it wasn't long ago, and and you saw it. Everybody, you know, if you're on social media, you probably saw it. China went on this huge campaign. It was a propaganda campaign is what it was. What it was. It was a big propaganda campaign. They even you know, they were pumping up China's economy, and everything is going great. And we got, they they posted images of Mao Zedong, lambasted imperialist, sent messages to people's phones capitulating to bullies as dangerous, and it went it it it that they wouldn't back down. Well, not so much. Because now we're finding out according to Tyler Durden over there at the Liberty Daily, behind closed doors, China was quietly and has been quietly preparing to do that back down. And Reuters reports that according to three sources, officials had grown increasingly alarmed about tariffs, impacts on the economy, and the risk of isolation as China's trading partners have started negotiating deals with Washington. China's reasons for deciding to negotiate, Washington's letter on fentanyl, US diplomatic challenges in Beijing, and the early outreach between the two sides are reported by Reuters for the first time based on interviews with nearly a dozen government officials and experts on both sides. As usual, China's diplomatic efforts had two faces. One, for the popular domestic consumption and one for private engagement with the adversary, and that case is Us. China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Reuters that it reiterated that China's firm opposition to The US abuse of tariff is consistent and clear, and there is no change. It added that The U US has ignored China's goodwill and unreasonably imposed tariffs on China under the pretext of fentanyl. This is a typical act of bullying with serious, which seriously undermines the dialogue and cooperation between the two sides in the field of drug control. Now they're backing down. So you see, The US did not ignore China's goodwill as they say. The issue of fentanyl is a very serious one, and we need to take it seriously. But it's about more than that. They had social media influencers, like I said, online. They were they were begging people begging people. Buy directly from the factory. If you need a product, if you need something, buy directly from the factory. That way we can, you know, kinda do or go around some of these tariffs. They were begging people. Factories have been shutting down. Unemployment is rampant. W ...

Let's go to the PHD Weight Loss Talk Line with doctor Steve who's heading up to Boiling Springs. How are you doing, bud? I'm I'm doing well. And yourself? I'm doing great. What's going on? Great. I just don't know if you've heard, but the the strength of Trump's, tariffs, even the pope is American made. I see. I see. There you go. I mean, it's working, isn't it? Globally, Trump's Trump's tariffs are working. And another quick thing about Belichick Yeah. If he marries that girl if he marries that girl, are the young ones gonna call her nana or granny? Yeah. Right? I don't know. My gosh. It's gonna be awful. Thank you so much, buddy. You be careful out there. Yep. Even even the pope is American made. That's how well Trump's, tariffs are working. Now what you're not hearing from the mainstream media is exactly that, how well Trump's tariffs are working. Already signed that huge great deal. It was a huge deal. It's the best deal we've ever done with The UK. Nobody else could do it but me. Only I could do and he's right. Only he could do that. Because he's even as they pointed out over on CNN last night, The United States has has been trying to come up with some sort of a trade deal with The UK for a long time. Now remember, they lost a lot of their trading status when they went through Brexit, and they broke away from the European Union. So they lost a little bit there, but now this this benefits them. It benefits us. Everybody's a winner. But who is about to come to the table? Well, China. China's getting ready. So it wasn't long ago, and and you saw it. Everybody, you know, if you're on social media, you probably saw it. China went on this huge campaign. It was a propaganda campaign is what it was. What it was. It was a big propaganda campaign. They even you know, they were pumping up China's economy, and everything is going great. And we got, they they posted images of Mao Zedong, lambasted imperialist, sent messages to people's phones capitulating to bullies as dangerous, and it went it it it that they wouldn't back down. Well, not so much. Because now we're finding out according to Tyler Durden over there at the Liberty Daily, behind closed doors, China was quietly and has been quietly preparing to do that back down. And Reuters reports that according to three sources, officials had grown increasingly alarmed about tariffs, impacts on the economy, and the risk of isolation as China's trading partners have started negotiating deals with Washington. China's reasons for deciding to negotiate Washington's letter on fentanyl, US diplomatic challenges in Beijing, and the early outreach between the two sides are reported by Reuters for the first time based on interviews with nearly a dozen government officials and experts on both sides. As usual, China's diplomatic efforts had two faces. One, for the popular domestic consumption and one for private engagement with the adversary, in that case, is Us. China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Reuters that it reiterated that China's firm opposition to The US abuse of tariff is consistent and clear, and there is no change. It added that The U US has ignored China's goodwill and unreasonably imposed tariffs on China under the pretext of fentanyl. This is a typical act of bullying with serious, which seriously undermines the dialogue and cooperation between the two sides in the field of drug control. Now they're backing down. So you see, The US did not ignore China's goodwill as they say. The issue of fentanyl is a very serious one, and we need to take it seriously. But it's about more than that. They had social media influencers, like I said, online. They were they were begging people, begging people. Buy directly from the factory. If you need a product, if you need something, buy directly from the factory. That way we can, you know, kinda do or go around some of these tariffs. They were begging people. Factories have been shutting down. Unemployment is rampant. W ...

A round-up of the main headlines in Sweden on May 7th, 2025. You can hear more reports on our homepage www.radiosweden.se, or in the app Sveriges Radio Play. Presenter/Producer: Kris Boswell

UN calls on Israel to lift 'brutal blockade' of humanitarian aid to Gaza The UN has called on Israel to lift its blockade of humanitarian aid delivery into Gaza, saying blocking the desperately needed aid inflicts a "cruel collective punishment". Tom Fletcher, the UN relief chief, said that: "International law is unequivocal: As the occupying power, Israel must allow humanitarian support in. Aid, and the civilian lives it saves, should never be a bargaining chip." Fletcher also said: "The humanitarian movement is independent, impartial and neutral. We believe that all civilians are equally worthy of protection," underlining that they remain ready to save as many lives as they can, despite the risks." US urges India to avoid broader conflict after Kashmir attack US Vice President JD Vance has said that Washington hopes that India's response to the recent attack in India-administered Kashmir does not lead to a broader regional conflict. Vance said that Washington hoped Pakistan would cooperate with India to hunt down those responsible for the attack. He said that: "Pakistan, to the extent that they're responsible, cooperates with India to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with. That's how we hope this unfolds. We're obviously in close contact. We'll see what happens." Deadly drone attack in Kherson, Moscow blames Kiev A Ukrainian drone strike on a market area in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's Kherson region killed at least seven people and wounded over 20 others, the Moscow-installed governor said. Vladimir Saldo, the region's Russian-backed governor, accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out the strike in a crowded market district in the city of Oleshky. Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling the incident a “terrorist” act and accused Ukraine of escalating the war while sabotaging diplomatic efforts. Pakistan ups diplomacy amid tensions with India Pakistani leaders doubled diplomatic efforts amid tensions with India following a deadly attack in India-administered Kashmir, according to a statement from the prime minister's office in Islamabad. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that Pakistan condemned terrorism in all forms and manifestations, reiterating his offer for a credible, transparent and neutral international investigation into the Pahalgam attack. Sharif also met with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong in Islamabad, where the two discussed the situation in the region, thanking to China for its strong and steadfast support to Pakistan in the prevailing situation in South Asia. High technology, AI key to new world, says TEKNOFEST head The head of Türkiye's premier technology event, TEKNOFEST, highlighted that high technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are the keys to the new world, stressing that AI, when combined with the right purpose and ethical values, can provide humanity with a much better future. Selcuk Bayraktar, speaking at the opening ceremony of TEKNOFEST, emphasised that AI can enable groundbreaking innovations in health, equal educational opportunity, and countless opportunities that will make life easier. He also underscored that the country should be a global centre of attraction for technology and science in the heart of the Mediterranean.

China's Foreign Ministry denied on Thursday any ongoing negotiations between China and the United States over the tariff issue, reiterating that dialogue and negotiations on the issue must be based on equality, respect and mutual benefit.中国外交部周四否认中美之间正在进行任何有关关税问题的谈判，并重申就该问题进行对话和谈判必须建立在平等、尊重和互利的基础上。Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the ministry, rejected reports from the US side that Beijing and Washington are in negotiations and will even reach a deal, calling such claims "fake news".外交部发言人郭嘉昆驳斥了美方关于中美正在进行谈判甚至将达成协议的报道，称此类说法是“假新闻”。"As far as I know, China and the US have not held consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, let alone reached any agreement," Guo told a daily news conference.郭嘉昆在每日例行记者会上表示：“据我所知，中美双方尚未就关税问题进行磋商或谈判，更遑论达成任何协议。”The tariff war was initiated by the US, he said, stressing that China's position has been consistent and clear: "If it's to fight, we'll fight till the end. If it's to talk, our door is wide open."他表示，关税战是由美国挑起的，并强调中方的立场是一贯明确的：“要打我们奉陪到底，要谈我们敞开大门。”reiterate/riˈɪtəreɪt/v.重申，反复地说dialogue/ˈdaɪəlɒɡ/n.对话fake news虚假新闻consultation/ˌkɒnsəlˈteɪʃən/n.磋商，商讨

China is said to consider exempting some US goods from tariffs as costs increase with Chinese authorities considering removing additional levies for medical equipment and some industrial chemicals like ethane, according to Bloomberg citing sources familiar with the matter.China's Foreign Ministry says it is not having any consultations or negotiations with the US on tariffs; on tariff exemptions, says not familiar with specifics.European bourses edge higher on positive Chinese trade reports; US futures mixed, GOOGL +5.5% pre-market after strong Q1 results.DXY recovers amid trade hopes, JPY weakens amid outflows from haven FX and despite hotter Tokyo CPI.Bonds trade rangebound as participants await further tariff updates.Crude modestly firmer, XAU slips given the positive risk tone and stronger USD.Looking ahead, BoE's Greene, ECB's Nagel, Rehn & Cipollone, Earnings from, SLB, AbbVie, Phillips 66 & Centene.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Last time we spoke about Operation Nekka, the Invasion of Rehe Province. In 1932, the Kwantung Army eyed Rehe province as vital for Manchukuo's success. General Tang Yulin, ruling Rehe, initially favored Japanese interests due to economic ties, particularly in opium. Tensions escalated after a Japanese civilian was abducted, prompting military actions that led to skirmishes in Shanhaiguan. Amidst growing conflict, Zhang Xueliang mobilized forces against Tang, who eventually conceded. As Japan prepared for invasion, both sides strategized, with Chiang Kai-Shek reluctant to engage directly, fearing Japanese influence over his rivals. Operation Nekka commenced, showcasing the Kwantung Army's efficiency as they swiftly routed Chinese forces in Rehe. By March 4th, key passes were captured, but fierce resistance emerged. General Nishi faced counterattacks, leading to strategic retreats. Meanwhile, Chiang Kai-Shek struggled with internal conflicts while managing the Japanese threat. As the Kwantung Army pushed beyond the Great Wall, logistical issues arose, prompting political maneuvers to secure local warlord alliances. However, plans faltered when Zhang Qingyao, a potential ally, was assassinated.   #147 The Battle for the Great Wall of China Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Thus in the previous episode, Operation Nekka had been unleashed. The Kwangtung Army tossed 2 divisions into Rehe province with the intent of forcing its annexation into Manchukuo. They were under strict orders to not extend operations past the Great Wall of China. However they believed it was necessary to seize the main gateways along the Great Wall of China to establish their new borders, and in order to do so this absolutely required going past them. Yet military operations were not the only means to secure their goals. The Japanese forces faced significant logistical challenges, including a shortage of troops, having advanced into Rehe with only 20,000 men. Even the most resolute general in the Kwantung Army doubted that their military strength could prevail against the vast numbers of Chinese troops in the plains of Hubei. As a result, they needed to supplement their military efforts with political strategies targeting regional warlords. The tactic of bribing local elites had proven highly effective during the pacification of Manchuria, and there was no reason to think it wouldn't work in North China as well. All of these actions were carried out without any oversight from Tokyo headquarters.   On February 13, 1933, Itagaki Seishiro, who was then the head of the Mukden Special Service Agency, was transferred to the General Staff without any formal announcement of his promotion. He took up a position in Tientsin specifically to initiate political maneuvers in eastern Hubei, leading to the establishment of the Tientsin Special Service Agency. Initially, this agency sought to engage various competing warlords in North China, including Duan Qirui, Wu Peifu, and Sun Chuanfang, but eventually focused on Zhang Qingyao. Zhang had previously been a protégé of Duan Qirui, serving as the civil and military governor of Henan province. He had fought against Zhang Zuolin in 1925 before shifting his allegiance to Wu Peifu. During the second phase of the Northern Expedition, Zhang Qingyao again battled Zhang Zuolin, who was then in control of the National Pacification Army. After the Northern Expedition concluded, he allied with Yan Xishan's forces in Shanxi. So yeah it would seem he was not a man of principles nor loyalties of any kind. The Tientsin Special Service Agency initially aimed to approach Zhang Qingyao in hopes that he could orchestrate a coup d'état against Chiang Kai-Shek. They also hoped to persuade other figures such as Song Queyuan, Zhang Zuoxiang, Fang Chenwu, Xu Yusan, Zhang Tingshu, Sun Tienying, and Feng Zhanhai to join in. If successful, this could lead to a swift takeover of North China as they were advancing towards Peiping after taking the Great Wall. However, on May 7, Zhang Qingyao was assassinated, completely derailing their plans. With Zhang Qingyao dead, the agency concentrated their efforts instead to instigate riots in the Peiping-Tientsin region. They also began encouraging and propping up new political organizations that sought to form an independent northern regime. One scheme they were performing was to form a committee composed of Northern Warlords headed by Lu Zengyu, a banker who had studied in Japan. The idea was to form an anti-Chiang Kai-Shek coalition to carve out north china. The agency received a significant amount of funds to make ends meet. Itagaki alone would spend over 50,000 yen to try and bring about an anti-Chiang regime in the north. Some sources indicated over 3 billion yen being allocated to the IJA to be dished out to various Chinese warlords and elites in the form of bribes.  Meanwhile operations in the district east of the Luan River saw attacks formed against the Xumenzhai and Lengkou gateways. On April 1st, the Kwantung Army issued Order 491, seeing the Iwata detachment of the IJA 6th Division storm through the Xumenzhai gate and succeed in securing a supply route behind the great wall to help with the assaults against the other gateways in the region. By April 10th, the IJA 6th Division was making steady progress against the Lengkou gate. The next day they stormed through and captured Qienqangying, pursuing the retreating Chinese to the banks of the Luan River. Meanwhile the IJA 8th Division were facing a much more difficult situation. On the 12th, they captured Xifengkou, but their assault against Quehlingkou was going nowhere. After repeated assaults, the Chinese finally retreated, allowing the Japanese to focus on Taitouying. Thus from the 10th to the 23rd the gateways in northeastern Hubei were all falling into Japanese hands. The Kawahara Brigade was well on its way towards Nantienmen. The Operations within the Great Wall area had been fully authorized by Generals Nishi and Sakamoto. However there still existed limits upon the operations. For example, Operations order 495 issued by General Muto given on the 11th stated "Without specific orders, pursuit by the main force of ground troops is to be limited to the line connecting Hotung, Chiench'angying, and T'ait'ouying; but air units are to be limited to the Luan River."  Meanwhile the Special Service Agency in Tientsin had reported that Zhang Qingyao would stage a coup on the 21st and this prompted Song Queyuans troops to prevent the Central Army forces from fleeing towards Peiping. The Agency requested that the Kwantung Army not return to the Great Wall and instead perform a feint attack towards Peiping and Tientsin to scare the Chinese. As the plot was reaching its climax, on the 18th the Kwantung Army chief of staff, General Koiso Kuniaki issued a order for the 8th Division to strike in full force against the Gubeikou area. The Kwantung Army's plan was to bomb Miyun while launching their feint attack in combination with an all out effort to break Gubeikou. However on the night of the 18th, all of these plans changed dramatically. Suddenly General Muto issued Operations Order 498, hastily ordering all forces to withdraw to the Great Wall. Emperor Hirohito had decided to put his foot down. In Tokyo the emperor asked the vice chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General Mazaki Jinzaburö, "Has the Kwantung Army withdrawn from the Luan River line?" The vice chief retired from the imperial presence with a sense of guilt and wrote a confidential letter to the commander of the Kwantung Army. It was personally carried by Infantry Captain Katö [Michio] of the General Staff, who on April 19 arrived at the capital [of Manchukuo] bearing an imperial rescript. The vice chief also cabled to the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army a highly confidential dispatch, the main point of which stated, "Withdraw your troops immediately, or an imperial command will be issued." Thereupon the chief of staff of the Kwantung Army directed staff officer Endò Saburò to draft the withdrawal order. Thus as a result, the Kwantung Army began a withdrawal on the 21st, the same day the Peiping coup was to be unleashed. Those around Emperor Hirohito at this time have gone on the record to state it seemed to them, the emperor had hesitated heavily on issuing the withdrawal order. His motivations for giving the order are simply, the Kwantung Army had gone against his decrees, it was an identical situation to what had happened at Mukden in 1931. The Kwantung Army had no choice but to submit to what essentially was him “asking them to stop”. With that, operations east of the Luan River were over, for now. The order was certainly a critical blow to the Agency in Tientsin. How did they react? They doubled down on the coup effort. Likewise Koiso did not stop the 8th Division operation at Gubeikou. Instead the 8th Division was given orders "to maintain a menacing attitude toward hostile forces in North China." In accordance, the 3800 man Kawahara Brigade on direct orders from General Nishi, launched an attack against two Central Army Divisions numbered nearly 30,000 men stationed at Nantienmen. After a brutal week of battle the Kawahara Brigade seized the town. Meanwhile a battalion of 280 men led by Colonel Shimmura Eijiro attacked a central army force around 4000 strong at Xinglong. They suffered a 38% rate of casualties by the night of the 27th. The Battalion was nearly annihilated when suddenly the Chinese withdrew enabling the Japanese to slip by. Meanwhile the Piping coup did not materialize as planned on the 21st. Instead a secondary coup was initiated by Zhang Zuoxiang on the 26, but this misfired greatly. Reports began to emerge that troops led by Zhang Tingxu, Sun Tienying, Feng Zhanhai and Xu Yusan were willing to rebel in response to the failed coup attempts, but this proved completely false. A report issued on the 30th stated troops under Fang Chenwu were rebelling against Chiang Kai-Shek. However in reality Fang Chenwu only advanced his force north on May 10th and it was to join the anti-Japanese forces.  From mid April to mid May, the United States, Britain, France and Germany finally entered the fray in North China. It was an extremely chaotic situation for everyone. The Japanese military in Tokyo had no control nor idea what the Kwantung Army was doing, so when they tried to explain their actions to the international community, they continuously were walking over rakes. All the talk from Tokyo seemed incomprehensible to the other great powers. The Chinese were clamouring the entire time for a ceasefire agreement, but lacked the means to force the Japanese to do so. Japan had left the League of Nations, thus was extremely isolated and insecure in regards to foreign relations. Thus if a nation like Britain or the US had actually put their foot down, the Japanese more than likely would have backed off. Another element to this debacle was the stance of the Imperial Japanese Navy, who had made it adamantly clear they had zero intention of fighting off the British or Americans because of their unruly siblings within the Army. However, both Britain and America were too preoccupied with internal strife, mostly the result of the Great Depression, to devote considerable effort to the crisis in China. The League of Nations remained completely useless during the North China incident, similarly to how they were useless with the Manchurian incident. The Lytton Commission had performed an on the spot inquiry, and it did play a role in establishing a ceasefire by the time of the Shanghai incident, but did nothing to really help China. China had begun appealing to the League when Shanhaiguan was attacked and this prompted the nations of the league to rapidly agree to the Lytton Commission report's recommendations. In turn this led Matsuoka Yosuke to walk out on the league. With Japan out of the League, Wellington Koo proposed harsh sanctions upon Japan in response to their invasion of Rehe province. Yet they did nothing. China would continuously make pleas, but it was to no avail.  Rather than rely upon the League, the Chinese began secret talks with Japanese officials aiming first for a ceasefire. Tang Erho, Lee Shuzheng and Wang Komin attempted talks, but failed. Then Chen Yi the political vice minister of military affairs, secretly spoke with Nemoto Hiroshi, an army attache at the Shanghai legation on April 27th. They established negotiations with Nemoto speaking on behalf of the Kwantung Army and Chen Yi on behalf of Ho Yingqin. The Chinese were clearly more eager than the Japanese for a ceasefire, but the Japanese no longer had a rationale to continue their operation. Regardless the Japanese took the victors stance and demanded the Chinese withdraw from the battlefield as a prerequisite to further Japanese advances. In the first meeting, Nemoto told Chen that the Kwantung Army had already withdrawn from the area east of the Luan River to give Ho Yingqin an opportunity to consider a ceasefire. He described the action as a friendly gesture and suggested the Chinese reciprocate it by withdrawing their troops. Chen countered this by claiming Ho Yingqin had shown his own sincerity at the battle of Nantienmen by ordering his troops to withdraw to a second line of defense, hoping this would allow the Japanese to pull away from Nantienmen. However by May 1st, the Japanese claimed they had captured and secured Nantienmen, so Nemoto informed Chen the Chinese forces north of the Great Wall should withdraw to a line connecting Miyun, Pinkou, Yutien and the Luan River. On May 2nd, the Chinese sent a reply to this, completely ignoring the line idea and instead referred to the recent battle at Xinglong and explained the local commander there was eager for a victory and refused to withdraw despite being asked twice to do so. The Chinese also notified Nemoto that a Political affairs council headed by Huang Fu was being established at Peiping, and it should be through that body that further negotiations were held. The Japanese welcomed this development. Just as it seemed the Shanghai talks were paving a way to a ceasefire, the leadership of the Kwantung Army abandoned their political maneuvers in favor of a settlement. On April 30th the Tientsin Special Service Agency insisted to their Japanese colleagues, the Chinese were just buying time and not sincere in their actions. That same day the Army General Staff and Foreign Ministry suddenly refused to initiate a ceasefire on the grounds the Chinese had agreed to an armistice only to save face. Lt Colonel Nagatsu Sahishige, the army attache at Peiping urged the 8th Division to rapidly strike southwards as far as Miyun to annihilate He Yingqin's planned counteroffensive. Such an action would immediately threaten the Peiping-Tientsin region. To push the envelope, the Japanese could toss a new Division into the mix and force further negotiations when the Chinese withdrew south of Miyun. Clearly the Japanese had their eyes set on Miyun now. As such General Nishi was secretly told to capture it without any direction from Tokyo HQ, nor from most of the Kwantung Army leadership. The Operations department of the Kwantung Army also independently elected to move troops east of the Luan River again. They argued "the enemy again advances east of the Luan River and persists in its defiant attitude. Therefore we must again deal them a crushing blow." The IJA 6th Division had been evacuated to the Great Wall back on April 23rd and along the way were closely pursued by Chinese forces. General Sakamoto sent a plan to the Kwantung Army headquarters "to again drive the enemy west of the Luan River,". A lot of chaos was reigning within the Japanese military because they were in echo chambers and not relaying information to another. When the Kwantung Army Operations department suddenly proposed a new advance east of the Luan River, on May 2nd a heated exchange took place between them and the Kwantung Army Intelligence Section: “INTELLIGENCE SECTION: The defiant attitude of the enemy is a matter of degree. While it is indisputable that some of their forces continue defiant, their main force is still stationed west of the Luan River. Therefore, a defiant attitude on the part of the enemy is not sufficient reason to deal them a crushing blow. The Kwantung Army withdrew from the Luan River line only ten days ago. As we understand it, the purpose was to comply with the imperial wish. If the army begins operations on a flimsy pretext at this time, inviting intervention by the central leadership, how can the honor of the commander in chief be maintained? What we should now attack are rather the enemy forces facing the 8th Division. For this, we should employ additional strength. By dealing a severe blow to the Chinese Central Army forces in this area, we can threaten Peiping and the operation should be all the more effective.  OPERATIONS SECTION: Due to the limitations of our supply capacity, we cannot use more than a certain level of forces against the enemy facing the 8th Division. Since the enemy east of the Luan River maintains a defiant attitude, they must be punished regardless of their strength.  INTELLIGENCE SECTION: Since the seizure of Nant'ienmen the 8th Division lacks the capability of pursuing the enemy. This is an unavoidable consequence of the small strength of its force from the outset of the operation. Isn't the First [Operations] Section uncertain that the enemy can be defeated even by the main force of the 8th Division, and doesn't it intend ultimately to deploy the 6th Division southward in concert with action by the 8th Division? If this is the case, it is understandable, and this section is not necessarily against it.   OPERATIONS SECTION: That is not what this section is considering.  INTELLIGENCE SECTION: In that case, there is no clear justification for launching the operation. The objective of the operation must be plainly spelled out to all concerned, from His Majesty at the top down to the lowest private. There must not be the slightest doubt about it.” After this conversation the Intelligence department debated amongst themselves before relaying another response at midnight, ultimately not approving it. The next day the Operations department sent a telegram to the negotiations team in Peiping: “1) Under present conditions, the Kwantung Army has no intention of accepting a cease-fire proposal for the time being, particularly because there are signs suggesting intervention by third countries in the matter.  2) Previously the Kwantung Army suggested the Miyun-Yiit'ienLuan River line as the retreat line for the Chinese army; but this did not mean it was to be their front line after a cease-fire. It rather indicated a line to which the Chinese army should immediately and voluntarily retreat as evidence of their sincerity. In other words, a cease-fire cannot be negotiated until they retreat to this line and abandon their provocative attitude, and until this is confirmed by the Kwantung Army. Their mere retreat to the indicated line, in today's circumstances, is not sufficient reason for us to respond to the cease-fire proposal. According to Peking telegram 483 [not identified], it appears that the intentions of our army have been somewhat misunderstood. Even if the Chinese retreat to the indicated line and display the sincerity of their intentions, we may possibly demand a retreat line farther south. We believe negotiations in this region should be handled by the central leadership in Tokyo rather than by the Kwantung Army. Act on this understanding.”   So after this message, the Intelligence department accused the Operations department of trying to find any excuse to renew the advance and sent a wire to Nemoto on April 29th "If the Chinese suddenly perceive their mistake, . . . we will not make war for the fun of it." However the Intelligence department was suddenly overruled by Colonel Kita who cabled the negotiators that the Operations department now had full approval from Kwantung Army vice chief of staff Okamura Yasuji. When General Muto received this notice he questioned "This draft order, states that the enemy has moved into the region east of the Luan River and is showing a provocative attitude. I did not receive such a report from the Second [Intelligence] Section before my departure from Hsinching. Does this mean there has been a subsequent change in the situation?" After being informed more so, Muto simply stated he wished to wait until the chief of staff could speak to him. Obviously Muto was getting wet feet and did not want to perform any actions not in accordance with Tokyo HQ, as Emperor Hirohito had put his foot down.  On May 3rd, General Koiso and Operations Department staff officer Endo Saburo spoke with Muto, indicating they had approval of Tokyo HQ general staff and even the Emperor. So Muto relented for a second advance and issued Order 503 on May 3rd to the IJA 6th and 8th Divisions. Now the Army General Staff were dragged into the Kwantung Army's debacle fully. So they drew up an emergency draft plan for measures in North China. To this aim:  “Through continuing pressure by the military might of the Kwantung Army, applied in concert with various political measures in North China, the Chinese forces in North China are to be compelled to make a substantia] surrender or to dissolve, thereby resulting in the withdrawal of the Chinese army along the China-Manchukuo border and in the establishment of peace in this area”.  Added to this the General Staff suggested a large counteroffensive be driven along the Great Wall and a formal truce agreement should be concluded once three conditions had been met: “(a) that Chinese forces had retreated voluntarily south and west of a line connecting Hsuanhua, Shunyi, Sanho, Yüt'ien, Luanchou, and Lot'ing; (b) that anti-Japanese activities had been controlled; and (c) that the preceding had been verified by the Japanese army”. Under immense pressure from the renewed Japanese advance, the Chinese government on May 3rd, had pushed for a new body to tackle the North China situation. That was the Peiping Political Affairs Council. It was composed of 22 members, headed by Huang Fu. Huang Fu was notably a pro-Japanese official, having been a graduate of the Tokyo Land Survey department training institute and had served early as a minister of foreign affairs. Since China had zero faith anymore in the League of Nations and believed if they failed to resolve the North China issue, this all might see a new civil war break out between Chiang Kai-Shek and Wang Jingwei. Thus everyone felt the time for active resistance was over and they must place all their effort into negotiations. Chiang Kai-Shek placed a great amount of authority upon Huang Fu and trusted the man. Huang Fu began his new task by speaking with all the political and financial leaders from both sides of the conflict to see how a real ceasefire could be met through dealmaking.  Meanwhile on May 6th the IJA 6th Division unleashed a new offensive south of the Great Wall and were followed by the 8th Division on the 11th. General Muto at this time made public statements blaming the Chinese for the renewed hostilities, making it seem the Japanese had intended to stay within the Great Wall area. The 6th Division swept across the sector east of the Luan River and by the 11th the Chinese defensive line collapsed. On the 12th the 6th Division crossed the Luan River, pursuing Yu Xuechengs 51st Army. In turn this threatened He Yingqin's main force who were facing the 8th Division. In the previous battles, Yu Xuechengs men had performed quite poorly and now even under direct command of He Yingqin were proving themselves helpless against the 6th division. Additionally Itagaki's agency over in Tientsin were using radio facilities to dispatch false directives from Chinese high command, ordering the forces to retreat from the front battle line. Two to three Chinese divisions were neutralized by these fake radio messages and in turn the Chinese became very demoralized at their lines. The 8th division had driven into the Gubeikou area on the 11th and it took them only a day to dislodge the Chinese from their line near Xuxiachen. By the 13th Xuxiachen had fallen completely. On the 11th and 12th, Japanese aircraft began flying over Peiping, as a demonstration of the terror they could deliver to the city at any moment. These developments altogether were pushing the Chinese civilians to demand of their politicians and generals that they appease the Japanese. Huang Fu proposed to Nemoto on the 12th that all Chinese troops could be withdrawn from Miyun to a line extending from Shunyi to Yutien and Tangshan. This was an enormous concession and nearly mirrored the line the Japanese had demanded.  The Japanese however, rejected the concession. To make matters worse for the Chinese, He Yingqin had been notified of the large concession proposal in advance and expected the Japanese to take it. Thus he had refrained from operating in strength at Miyun and did not significantly defend the path towards Peiping. It was the belief of the Japanese commanders, if they performed a full-scale attack towards Peiping now, He Yingqin would have no choice but to withdraw towards Shunyi. With this in mind the Japanese made a proposal on the 14th:  “1) According to the reports of the Peiping military attaché, the 8th Division should be prepared to advance in a single sweep to the southern limit of Miyun, if it is deemed necessary. Preparations for this attack should be expedited.  2) In conjunction with the above, front-line aircraft should take actions implying that a major Japanese offensive is about to begin.  3) In Tokyo, it should be announced publicly, in liaison with the Foreign Ministry, that the security of Jehol province cannot be guaranteed as long as the Chinese army remains in Miyun. Furthermore, every so often Japanese aircraft should make demonstration flights over the Shunyi-T'ungchou area.” Confronted with this, the Chinese were pretty screwed. The Chinese negotiations team were frantically searching for any way to force a ceasefire. Then the secretary of the Shanghai legation, Suma Yakichiro showed up to Peiping, which the Chinese viewed as a golden opportunity. The Chinese complained to him that the Kwantung Army had resumed their offensive and that a political agency in Tientsin were trying to enact coups. Suma bluntly told them the Japanese actions were backed fully by Tokyo and despite the Chinese belief that this was false or that Japan was facing a major financial deficit, this was all untrue.  While the dialogue continued to go nowhere, the 6th division had pursued the Chinese forces to the vicinity of Fengjun. Muto believed this had gone to far so he issued orders on May 13th limiting operations to the area north of a line connecting Miyun, Pingkou, Fegjun and Yungping. Now the 6th and 8th divisions were to assemble around Xuxiachen and Zunhua. Two days later he issued this statement to the public "If the Chinese army immediately abandons its hitherto provocative attitude and withdraws some distance from the border, our army will quickly return to the line of the Great Wall and pursue its regular task of maintaining security in Manchukuo." Likewise Muto ordered the Tientsin group to inform the Chinese that the Kwantung Army would return to the Great Wall if the Chinese forces retreated to the Shunyi-Yutien-Tangshan line. Nemoto forwarded all of this to Chen Yi. On May 15th He Yingqin ordered the withdrawal of the Chinese forces to a line between Malanyu, Linnantsang and Pamencheng.  With what seemed a imminent ceasefire at hand, the Kwantung Army HQ ordered the 6th and 8th divisions to take up positions strategically favorable for the negotiations to finally begin in ernest. On the 17th a draft ceasefire plan was drawn up. It envisioned the withdrawal of the Chinese forces to the Shunyi-Yutien-Tangshan line and in return the Japanese would pull back to the Great Wall area. Huang Fu was on his way back to Peiping from Shanghai for probably the 10th time in two weeks, when the Japanese captured Fengjun and Zhunhua, routing the Chinese across the Qi Canal to the right bank of the Pai River. The 6th Division then advanced towards Yutien and Xumenchen as the 8th division stood around Xuxiachn. When the Chinese began retreating from Miyun on May 18th, the 8th division suddenly converged upon Miyun. Muto was of course delighted by their new advantageous position and even briefly began talking to his colleagues about the prospect of just marching upon Peiping. Instead he decided to sweep through Miyun, Pingku and the Qi Canal, going even further west than he had stated he would back on the 13th.  With these new orders in hand, the 6th Division quickly captured Qixien on the 19th and further pursued retreating Chinese forces to Sanho. The 8th Division entered Miyun and two days later began advancing to Huaijou. By the 23rd Huaijou had fallen as the 6th Division reached the Qi Canal. These advances threatened the Peiping-Tientsin region. Both Japanese divisions halted on the 25th as the ceasefire was issued. With that last strike Muto felt he had significantly increased their poker hand going forward. Meanwhile Itagaki's team at Tientsin were still trying to bring about a coup. In tandem with the 8th Divisions attack on Miyun, the agency tried to engineer a revolt by the militia troops led by Song Queyuan, Fang Chenwu, Sun Tienying, amongst others. The idea was for these forces to occupy Peiping while wrecking havoc upon the Chinese central army within th region. The agency had attempting recruiting Wu Peifu, but the old jade marshal was unwilling, so they turned to this former protege, the chairman of Hubei, Yu Xuecheng. However he also declined. Yu Xuecheng was also approached by Hu Hanmin, looking to form an anti-Chiang Kai-Shek campaign in cooperation with Han Fuqu and Feng Yuxiang. To this Yu Xuecheng declined as well. Itagaki kept searching for disgruntled warlords, and then turned to Li Qiashan and Xu Yusan. Xu Yusan was a former ally to Feng Yuxiang with a history of anti-Chiang Kai-Shek actions. If they got the backing of his personal army, roughly 10,000 men strong at Tangshan they could do some real damage. On May 16th Xu Yusan declared independence and took up the Manchukuo 5 color flag in direct opposition to the Kuomintang. He began issuing the slogan “Hubi for the people of Hubei” as his army marched west along the Peiping-Shanhaiguan railway. His force reached the vicinity of Tangu whereupon they had increased to 30,000 and rumors emerged they would occupy Tientsin. This began a mass panic. . . for literally a day. His army collapsed into nothing more than a rabble as now had the stomach to actually fight their fellow countrymen.  Despite this grand failure, the Tientsin group continued with other plots. At 8 pm on May 19th, a Peiping bound train from Tangu, carrying Chinese soldiers was bombed around Tientsin station. The Japanese love bombing trains as we all know. This resulted in small incidents involving Japanese and Chinese officials, giving precedent for 600 Japanese troops led by Lt General Nakamura Kotaro to reinforce Tientsin on May 23rd. There were a few other incidents were supposedly Chinese agents were tossing grenades at Japanese officials. One of these officials was Major Mori Takeshi of the Japanese Army General Staff who was working in Tientsin. However the grenade thrown at him was a dud, and before the Japanese could seize it, some local Chinese grabbed it, finding a stamp on it bearing “Tokyo Artillery Arsenal”, oops.  These numerous incidents influenced the Chinese who feared Japan was trying to force an invasion into North China. To these rumors, He Yingqin insisted they mount a proper defense of Peiping, but many were arguing they had to further retreat. Meanwhile the Tientsin agency was told to stop performing incidents and instead secure northern warlords to their future cause. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The battle for the Great Wall of China was coming to a bitter end for the Chinese forces. The Japanese were using every deceptive measure to edge further and further into China proper. It seemed clear to the Chinese, nothing would stop Japanese encroachment upon their nation, while the rest of the world simply watched on doing nothing. 

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Ichha Sharma.Today is the 11th of April and here are this week's headlines.The US officially enforced a sweeping 104% tariff on all Chinese imports starting Wednesday, escalating its trade confrontation with Beijing. This move follows President Trump's ultimatum to China to withdraw its retaliatory 34% tariffs. China hit back sharply at Washington's escalating trade war rhetoric, saying it does not seek conflict but won't tolerate bullying either. US further escalated the situation with its decision to raise tariffs on Chinese goods to 125% while pausing tariffs for other nations. Responding to this, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing, “This cause will not win popular support and will end in failure.” Lin emphasized that Beijing will defend its people's rights, signaling that retaliatory action may still be on the table. Meanwhile, Asian markets surged on news of the 90-day tariff pause for other countries, with Japan's Nikkei 225 soaring 8%, South Korea's Kospi rising over 5%, and Australia's ASX 200 up 5% in early trading.In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court declared Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi's decision to reserve 10 re-passed Bills for Presidential consideration as illegal. The court held that the Governor showed scant respect for judicial precedent and unduly delayed action. Using Article 142, the bench declared that the 10 Bills are deemed to have received assent, overriding the governor's withholding. This rare step sends a strong message about constitutional propriety and reinforces legislative autonomy amid growing tensions between elected governments and appointed constitutional heads.The Reserve Bank of India has slashed the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6% in its latest monetary policy review. This signals lower interest rates on home, personal, and auto loans soon. The Monetary Policy Committee also shifted its stance from "neutral" to "accommodative," hinting at more rate cuts ahead. GDP growth for 2025–26 has been revised down to 6.5% from 6.7%, while retail inflation is projected at 4%. Lower rates aim to boost borrowing and spending amid slowing economic momentum.Russia has formally invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend its Victory Day Parade on May 9, commemorating 80 years since the end of World War II. Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko confirmed that the invitation has been sent, and the visit is under discussion. The gesture comes after Moscow confirmed President Putin's scheduled visit to India later this year. Russia has extended invitations to several “friendly nations,” reinforcing diplomatic ties amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. Modi's participation would signify India's balancing act in global power dynamics.A deadly Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in northern Gaza's Shijaiyah neighborhood on Wednesday, killing at least 23 people, including eight women and eight children, according to officials at Al-Ahly Hospital. The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed the toll and said rescue teams were still searching through rubble for survivors. Nearby buildings were also damaged, according to Gaza's civil defense, which operates under the Hamas-run government. The strike is the latest in a wave of intensifying attacks, as the humanitarian crisis worsens in the besieged Palestinian enclave with no signs of a ceasefire in sight.This was the CatchUp on 3 Things by The Indian Express.

This is the Catchup on 3 Things by The Indian Express and I'm Flora Swain.Today is the 10th of April and here are today's headlines.China Pushes Back Against U.S. Tariffs, Warns of ConsequencesChina hit back sharply at Washington's escalating trade war rhetoric, saying it does not seek conflict but won't tolerate bullying either. Responding to the U.S. decision to raise tariffs on Chinese goods to 125% while pausing tariffs for other nations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing, “This cause will not win popular support and will end in failure.” Lin emphasized that Beijing will defend its people's rights, signaling that retaliatory action may still be on the table. Meanwhile, Asian markets surged on news of the 90-day tariff pause for other countries, with Japan's Nikkei 225 soaring 8%, South Korea's Kospi rising over 5%, and Australia's ASX 200 up 5% in early trading.India Steers Clear of U.S. Tariff Clash, Eyes Fall Trade PactIndia responded cautiously as U.S. President Donald Trump announced a temporary suspension of his sweeping reciprocal tariffs, which went into effect Wednesday. Just hours before the announcement, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed that India is actively engaging with Washington to finalize a bilateral trade agreement by the fall. Speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, Jaishankar avoided directly commenting on Trump's controversial statements about trade partners, saying only, “We've been constructive in our engagement, and so have they.” India appears to be walking a fine line—avoiding confrontation while quietly working to secure a stable trade relationship.Tahawwur Rana Extradited from U.S., Special Prosecutor AppointedIndia has taken a key step toward justice in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday night appointed a special public prosecutor for a three-year term to lead the prosecution of Tahawwur Rana, who is being extradited from the United States. Sources confirmed that a senior team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and intelligence services has taken custody of Rana, who is expected to arrive in Delhi by Thursday. Rana is accused of aiding the planning of the deadly 2008 attacks in Mumbai, which left more than 160 people dead.Kashmir Cleric Says Police Blocked Religious Meet Over Waqf ActMirwaiz Umar Farooq, the prominent religious leader and head of the Muttahida Majlis Ulema (MMU), accused Jammu and Kashmir police of halting a planned meeting of clerics at his Srinagar residence. The gathering was meant to discuss concerns over the Waqf Act, which governs religious endowments in the region. Calling the police action unjust, Mirwaiz said religious leaders must be allowed to deliberate peacefully. He added that a joint resolution would be read in mosques across the Valley on Friday. The MMU also pledged support to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board's legal challenge to the Act.Israeli Airstrike Kills 23 in Gaza as Conflict DeepensA deadly Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in northern Gaza's Shijaiyah neighborhood on Wednesday, killing at least 23 people, including eight women and eight children, according to officials at Al-Ahly Hospital. The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed the toll and said rescue teams were still searching through rubble for survivors. Nearby buildings were also damaged, according to Gaza's civil defense, which operates under the Hamas-run government. The strike is the latest in a wave of intensifying attacks, as the humanitarian crisis worsens in the besieged Palestinian enclave with no signs of a ceasefire in sight.That's all for today. This was the CatchUp on 3 Things by The Indian Express.

Gaza suffers as children and aid workers killed in Israeli bombardment "Tragedy deepens in Gaza as at least 322 children have been killed and 609 wounded in the past 10 days, UNICEF reports, after Israel resumed attacks. ""Children have again been plunged into deadly violence,"" warns UNICEF's Catherine Russell. Separately, Gaza's media office confirms 1,513 humanitarian workers killed in Israel's relentless bombardment. Meanwhile, The Palestinian presidency condemns forced evacuations in Rafah, calling them a violation of international law. Israel and Hamas remain at odds over key conditions, including prisoner releases and military withdrawal." French court bans Marine Le Pen from office over EU funds scandal "French political circles are in turmoil. Marine Le Pen's electoral ambitions face a stunning blow as a court imposes a five-year ban after she was found guilty of embezzling European Union funds. International figures, including US President Donald Trump and his billionaire supporter Elon Musk, decry the ruling as politically motivated. Le Pen vows to appeal, insisting she's ""eliminated,"" not defeated. Her National Rally party now weighs its options, with 29-year-old protege and the party leader Jordan Bardella potentially stepping into the spotlight." Myanmar declares national mourning as earthquake deaths surpass 2,000 "Myanmar declared a week of national mourning on Monday following a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake that claimed over 2,000 lives. The ruling junta announced flags would fly at half-mast until April 6 in honour of the victims. Rescue efforts have slowed in Mandalay, the worst-hit city, as fears of aftershocks persist. Thousands are still living on the streets, and with communication networks disrupted, the true scale of the disaster remains uncertain. At least 3,900 people are injured, and hundreds are still missing." Khamenei warns Trump that Iran will retaliate firmly against aggression "Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, responded sharply to US President Donald Trump's threat of ""bombing,"" warning that any external aggression would prompt a ""firm retaliatory blow."" Addressing a congregation in Tehran, Khamenei emphasised Iran's readiness for any confrontation. Meanwhile, Iran rejected direct talks with the US but remains open to indirect negotiations. Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned Trump's remarks as a “shocking affront to international peace.”" France fines Apple over its app tracking transparency practices "French antitrust authorities have slapped Apple with a $162 million fine over its App Tracking Transparency or ATT feature. The watchdog argued that the implementation of ATT was excessive and harmed third-party publishers. The system, which debuted in 2021, requires users to opt-in before tracking across apps, with critics accusing Apple of using it to promote its own advertising. Despite the fine, Apple maintained the feature gives users greater control over privacy and has strong support globally. Investigations are ongoing in several European countries."

Seoul expresses deep regret over Japanese textbooks claiming sovereignty over Dokdo작성자: 최정윤, Tannith Kriel기사 요약: 일본이 "독도는 일본 땅"이라는 내용 담은 교과서를 전국적으로 배포하면서 한국 외교부가 유감 표현[1] Seoul's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday expressed “deep regret” over Tokyo's recent approval of school textbooks reinforcing its territorial claims to South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo.regret: 유감 / 후회하다, 안타깝게 생각하다reinforce: 강화하다, 증강하다territorial: 영토의, 세력권을 주장하는[2] Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology approved 31 school textbooks in the social studies category, which includes geography and history, that contain “unfair claims” over Dokdo.contain: 포함하고 있다, 방지하다unfair: 부당한[3] The textbooks, which label Dokdo as “Japan's sovereign territory” will be distributed for use at high schools across the country from 2026.sovereign: 군주, 통치권이 있는distribute: 배포하다, 유통하다,[4] In response to Tokyo's decision announced earlier in the day, Seoul's Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that it would not condone any sovereignty claims by Japan about Dokdo and called for the authorities to make corrections of such contents in the textbookcondone: 용납하다기사 원문: https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10449939

China has expressed its readiness to do its best to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to quake-hit regions in Myanmar. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Myanmar is China's friendly neighbor and China is closely following the situation after the earthquake.

Hundreds of people have been killed in Gaza after Israel broke a ceasefire and unleashed a huge bombardment across the territory on Tuesday morning. Israel says it was a "pre-emptive strike" targeting military commanders, leadership officials and terrorist infrastructure. Israel's Foreign Ministry adddd that Hamas refused to extend the ceasefire. Correspondent Jeremy Diamond has the details.  Also on today's show: Olga Cherevko, Spokesperson, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; Oleksiy Goncharenko, Ukrainian Member of Parliament; Simon Harris, Irish Foreign Minister; Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein, co-authors of "Abundance"   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today’s show. Israeli and regional media is rife with headlines about an imminent potential Gaza hostage release deal. However, after a Saudi outlet published a list it received from Hamas of 34 hostages the terror organization says would be freed in the first phase of a potential hostage-ceasefire deal, the Prime Minister’s Office puts out a statement stressing that the document is merely an Israeli list that was given to the mediating countries in July 2024. Berman updates us on what is going on. US special envoy Amos Hochstein has just landed in Beirut. This comes a day after Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel will be “forced to act” if Hezbollah does not pull back from southern Lebanon as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement. What is happening with the temporary truce agreement? As Syria’s new government strives to gain international legitimacy after overthrowing the Bashar al-Assad regime, Western countries seem open to giving a chance to the government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, head of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. Berman explains how Israel is sounding the alarm. An Israel Defense Forces soldier who survived Hamas’s attack at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, hurriedly ended his vacation in Brazil on Sunday morning after the country’s Federal Court ordered police to open a war crimes investigation into him, according to Brazilian media. Another 11 soldiers across the globe were warned by the Foreign Ministry. Berman weighs in. For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog. Discussed articles include: Leaked list names 34 hostages to be freed in 1st stage of Gaza deal; Israel denies progress Hamas said to okay list of 34 hostages to be freed, but refuses to detail who’s alive Katz warns ceasefire in jeopardy if Hezbollah doesn’t withdraw from south Lebanon As European and Arab leaders rush to meet Syria’s new leader, Israel calls for caution IDF soldier who survived Nova massacre escapes war crimes investigation in Brazil Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Nomi Studios. IMAGE: A protester with her hands bound and mouth taped shut holds a placard during a demonstration calling for the release of hostages held captive in Gaza by Hamas terrorists since the October 7 attacks, outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on January 4, 2025. (Jack Guez / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.